Progress and Peril: Bioterrorism Preparedness Dollars and Public Health
Publication Date: January 2004
Publisher: The Century Foundation; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Author(s): E. Gursky
Research Area: Health
Type: Report
Abstract:
The anthrax attacks of 2001 increased the nation's need to prepare for and respond to bioterrorism threats. In June 2002, Congress authorized the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which allowed for almost $1.6 billion to enhance federal, state, territorial, and local efforts to respond to bioterrorism, acute outbreaks of infectious disease, and other public health emergencies. This report, prepared by The Century Foundation, examines bioterrorism developments and federal spending on a national level with a case study on the state of Illinois. The report is one component of the Foundation's larger effort in homeland security, aimed at informing the public and the policy-making community about the complex challenges related to preventing and responding to domestic terrorism. Through a series of interviews with senior state and local public health officials, the report maps out the strategies of the public health sector to equip itself with new competencies against the threat of bioterrorism. These officials have direct knowledge of funding patterns, budgets, and program strategies and represent nearly 3,050 U.S. public health agencies. Of the 10 states and 35 local public health agencies that met selection criteria, eight state officials and 34 local public health officials participated in interviews. Qualitative data from the interviews are presented in the context of a history of public health in the United States and organized to provide a description of biodefense funding and expenditures. Based on the interview data, the author highlights concluding themes such as the need for sustained investment in public health and improved understanding of bioterrorist threats and responses. The report also asserts that threats to security demand consistency of core competencies at all levels of government.