Georgia to Receive $35.7M to Assist in Responding to Terrorism and Public Health Emergencies

Atlanta - Governor Sonny Perdue today praised U. S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tommy Thompson and the Bush administration for a $35,754,237 award to assist the state in responding to terrorism and public health emergencies. The money will allow Georgia to continue planning and upgrading the public health system infrastructure, hospitals and other health care entities that help respond to emergencies.

"I want to thank Secretary Thompson and the Bush Administration for these funds to upgrade the public health infrastructure in our state," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "We must continue to support our first responders and the infrastructure they need in place to effectively respond to any emergency."

The HHS funding is awarded as two separate but interconnected cooperative agreements. HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing $22,034,847 to Georgia for strengthening public health preparedness to address bioterrorism, outbreaks of infectious diseases and public health emergencies. HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration is providing $13,719,390 for Georgia to develop surge capacity to deal with mass casualty events.