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A Message from Secretary of Health Mary Selecky

The Department of Health has submitted grant applications for public health and hospital emergency preparedness to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for 2004. The grants, one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and one from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), will help Washington's public health system and hospitals continue to prepare for acts of bioterrorism, outbreaks of infectious disease, and other public health threats and emergencies.  

The plans were developed by a broad-based group that included many local and regional partners and state Department of Health staff. Representatives from the bioterrorism advisory committee, local health, hospitals, health care providers, clinics, tribes and emergency management organizations also provided input. This system-wide approach ensures that every county in the state is included in the work to prepare for and respond to a terrorist event as well as other public health emergencies.

Proposed activities for the coming year include the completion of local and regional preparedness plans, conducting drills and exercises, continued development of our technical systems, and the continued improvement of our ability to detect and respond to public health threats and emerging diseases.

This year we will extend our emergency preparedness activities to include community clinics, emergency responders, border states and Canada, and add chemical and radiological incidents to the threats we are preparing for. We will make extra efforts to ensure that all segments of our communities can participate in and are served by our emergency preparedness program.

Now, more than ever, public health plays a key role in homeland security. Working together, we can ensure our state is prepared.

You can read the details of these applications on this Web site or download a pdf version to print::

• CDC application for public health preparedness (on the Web)
• HRSA application for hospital preparedness (on the Web)
• Print versions of applications (pdf files)
• Summary of both applications (on the Web)

• Other state and emergency planning efforts: Washington State Emergency Management