Med News Today

Where's the money?

WASHINGTON - More than five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the government cannot show how the $5 billion given to public health departments has better prepared the country for a bioterrorism attack or flu pandemic.

Congress responded to the 2001 strikes and anthrax-tainted letters sent to lawmakers by putting much more money toward emergency preparedness. State health departments typically get tens of millions of dollars per year to prepare for bioterrorism; it was in the hundreds of thousands before Sept. 11.

The money came with a catch: Washington had to set criteria to evaluate how well the dollars were spent. That assignment fell to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has struggled with the task.

"We're not able to demonstrate accountability," said Craig Thomas, chief of the
CDC office that evaluates and monitors public health departments. "It's not just accountability to the CDC. It's accountability to your community. It's accountability to your local stakeholders and the people who fund you as well."

Thomas was speaking to public health leaders at a recent conference in Washington. His candid assessment does not mean local departments have squandered the money. Indeed, health officials say the departments are much better able to respond to major threats than they were five years to 10 years ago.

It is, however, an acknowledgment the CDC relies on anecdotal evidence to demonstrate the improvement. Congress demanded hard, statistical evidence.

posted by nattietodd @ 10:47 AM