We just got word last month from the CDC that we qualify for new funding to support accelerated infectious disease preparedness planning and response.  The total award for Arizona is about $2.5M, which enhances our total Preparedness grant award by about 10%.  The new funding is scheduled to arrive in April and is on an 18 month funding cycle.

We’ll be able to use the finding to improve our overall ability to prepare for and respond to emerging infectious diseases like Ebloa.  Our starting place for our work will be the Governor’s Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Preliminary Report.

The grant activities can include: 1) accelerated public health preparedness planning; 2) improving operational readiness; and 3) supporting state, local, and tribal public health response efforts; and 4) coordination with healthcare systems to develop a tiered system for patient care related to illnesses like Ebola.

We met with the local health officers last month and began the process of prioritizing our activities.  We expect an additional award to be announced this month under the Hospital Preparedness program, which will focus more on healthcare system readiness.