Contact: Ernie Blazar 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Thursday, November 15, 2001

WASHINGTON - Senator Kit Bond today introduced legislation to identify, train and prepare public health workers, health providers and the general public to respond to bioterrorist attacks.

The “Homefront Medical Preparedness Act” would authorize $50 million in federal funds to expand the national network of CDC Centers for Public Health Preparedness. These centers train front-line public health workers in the necessary skills and competency required to effectively respond to emergency health threats. Two centers are located at the St. Louis University School of Public Health: the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness and the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Threats.

“In this new age of bioterrorism, every town and city in America is potentially on the front-lines,” said Bond. “Like our military, our public health system must be at a constant state of readiness. Our local and state health department staffs, our emergency room doctors and nurses, our paramedics and our primary care providers must have the training and education required to identify and respond to an act of bioterrorism quickly and effectively.”

Bond’s legislation calls for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to make available at least $1 million per year to all centers both new and existing -- housed at an accredited school of public health. Specifically, the centers will:

* Provide training and education to local and state health department staff, emergency first responders, and primary and acute-care providers on the best practices necessary to protect against, and respond to the array of potential threats facing the American public including bioterrorism, infectious disease and weapons of mass destruction;

* Provide information to health-care providers and other components of the health care industry to protect against and respond to the threat of bioterrorism, infectious disease and weapons of mass destruction; and

* Provide information and education on relevant bioterrorist threats to the public.

There are currently 14 CDC Centers for Public Health Preparedness across the country. The two centers at St. Louis University would benefit from the additional funding authorized under this legislation. Funding History. Bond successfully secured $1 million for St. Louis University School of Public Health in FY 2000 and $900,000 for the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infection in FY 2001