While $25 million is a drop in the bucket, it's still noteworthy to see HHS stepping up to the problem of emergency department capacity and preparedness for public health emergencies. The agency announced recently it has made the grants available to hospitals and other healthcare facilities as a means of helping them cope with surges of patients, public health crises. HHS also hopes to bolster the capacity of the overall emergency system's functioning.
HHS isn't giving the grants out to any hospital that applies. The grants will go only to projects that link private and public emergency care capabilities with public health and first-responder systems. What's more, the programs will have to demonstrate they conduct drills and exercises with public and private sector groups to stay prepared for such crises.
To learn more about the grant program:
- read this United Press International article