Medical News: Report Claims Cuts Weaken U.S. Bioterrorism Response
State and federal budget cuts are eroding the nation’s ability to respond to bioterrorism and public health emergencies, according to a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Federal funds for state and local preparedness have declined by 38% from fiscal year (FY) 2005 to FY 2012, according to the report, which was released Tuesday. In addition, 4o states and Washington, D.C., have cut state public health funds in the past year.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, an assessment of the nation’s ability to protect public health determined the country was “structurally weak in almost every area.”
In the past decade, the federal government, states, and local governments have attempted to strengthen their ability to protect public health, and the situation even looked like it was improving based in part on the nation’s fast response during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, according to the report authors.
Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grew from having just a makeshift emergency operations center 10 years ago to having a state-of-the-art one today.
However, in recent years, budget cuts have stripped away funding, and future funding for preparedness looks grim, the report authors wrote.
Since 2008, more than 49,000 state and local public health jobs have been eliminated either because of layoffs or attrition, and 60% of state health agencies have cut entire programs, according to the report, which examined state and federal budget data.
All 50 states and Washington, D.C., made cuts in the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) from FY 2010 to FY 2011. That program, run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides funding and support to hospitals to help them prepare for public health emergencies.