U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America	Frequent Questions Search

Font Size     Print     Download Reader

This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.

The announcement was made as the President, Secretary Thompson and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge toured the newly funded Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health. Secretary Thompson praised the mission of the centers, which are designed to prepare our nation's public health and healthcare workforce to respond to terrorist incidents and other emerging health threats.

"The funding of these centers comes at a crucial period as the nation moves forward to improve its public health infrastructure to respond swiftly and effectively to threats and emergencies," said Secretary Thompson. "This new funding will help centers identify, assess, and improve critical gaps in preparedness for the state and the localities that they serve."

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Preparedness will work in collaboration with partners across Pennsylvania to assure a well-trained and prepared public health workforce, informed healthcare providers, and an alert citizenry to protect against terrorism. The center at the University of Pittsburgh will build a series of customized courses that can be delivered on-site or via distance learning to address gaps in preparedness identified in state and local capacity assessments. The center's commitment to evaluation will advance the science of workforce preparedness and facilitate the dissemination of best practices nationally.

In September 2000, CDC partnered with the Association of Schools of Public Health, state and local public health agencies, other academic and community partners, to begin development of a national system of Centers for Public Health Preparedness. The Pittsburgh Center will be one of the Preparedness Centers in Schools of Public Health across the nation that form an integrated component of the HHS initiative to enhance bioterrorism preparedness and strengthen the nation's public health infrastructure. The centers will receive $15 million, and the remaining $5 million will go toward creating additional centers and strengthening relationships with other academic and community health partners.

A real life example of the work being done at the centers comes from the attacks of Sept. 11. The Center for Public Health Preparedness in New York City, a collaboration between Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and the New York City Health Department aided in the deployment of 800 public health nurses to manage New York City shelters in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. These nurses had just been trained in emergency preparedness by the center on Aug. 29-31, 2001, in conjunction with the American Red Cross. This training resulted in expertise, response protocols and resource materials, which have served as a model for all of the New York City responders.

Centers to be funded in 2002 under the HHS bioterrorism initiative are:

1. Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Ga.
2. Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Mass.
3. Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.
4. Illinois Public Health Preparedness Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health.
5. Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.
6. Mailman School of Public Health, Center for Public Health Preparedness at Columbia University.
7. North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health.
8. Northwest Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of Washington, School of Public Health and Community.
9. State University of New York at Albany, School of Public Health, Albany, N.Y.
10. Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, La.
11. University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, Calif.
12. University of Iowa, School of Public Health
13. University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minn.
14. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pa.
15. University of South Florida Center for Public Health Preparedness at the USF College of Public Health.

For more information, go to www.phppo.cdc.gov.

###

HHS Home | Questions? | Contacting HHS | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | FOIA | Disclaimers | The White House | USA.gov | Helping America's Youth

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. - Washington, D.C. 20201