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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, July 10, 2002 |
Contact: | HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 |
With 97 cities already aided by HHS under the MMRS program, today's awards bring the total number of cities in the system to 122.
"As a nation we've been through a lot these past ten months," Secretary Thompson said. "Since 9/11 we've strengthened our public health infrastructure on so many fronts. This additional funding, through the MMRS, will help even more cities prepare for large-scale public health emergencies and ensure that more Americans will receive health services if a catastrophic event occurs."
Today's contracts total $10 million, or $400,000 for each city. The enhanced metropolitan response systems typically cost about $2.5 million, and are primarily paid for by local government.
The 25 cities receiving first-year contracts today include (by state):
Alabama -- Huntsville
Arizona -- Glendale
California -- Fremont; Bakersfield; San Bernardino; Modesto/Stanislaus County
Connecticut -- Hartford
Florida -- Fort Lauderdale; Orlando
Indiana -- Fort Wayne
Kansas -- Kansas City/Wyandotte County
Louisiana -- Marrero/Jefferson Parish
Massachusetts -- Springfield; Worcester
New York -- Syracuse
Ohio -- Warren
Rhode Island -- Providence
South Carolina -- Columbia
Tennessee -- Chattanooga; Knoxville
Texas -- Amarillo; Irving
Virginia -- Arlington; Newport News*; Chesapeake*
(* Two more Virginia cities are being added under the Hampton Roads contract.)
Cities receiving MMRS contracts are selected based on their population size. This is the fifth group of cities to be awarded MMRS contracts since 1996.
The MMRS concept was initially developed with HHS leadership in the Washington, D.C. area to coordinate emergency and medical response between the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia jurisdictions. The concept was then applied in Atlanta, Ga., to help the city prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games. Since 1996, HHS has provided more than $62.2 million in support of MMRS systems
MMRS planning addresses early identification of specific hazards, protection of the public from dangerous exposures, mass patient care and fatality management, and environmental safety.
In addition to Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, other cities that have received MMRS contracts since 1996 are:
Alabama - Birmingham; Mobile; Montgomery
Alaska -- Anchorage
Arkansas -- Little Rock
Arizona -- Phoenix; Tucson; Mesa
California -- Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; San Jose; Long Beach; Oakland; Sacramento; Fresno; Santa Ana;
Anaheim; Riverside; Glendale; Huntington Beach; Stockton
Colorado -- Denver; Aurora; Colorado Springs
Florida -- Miami; Jacksonville; Tampa; St. Petersburg; Hialeah
Georgia -- Columbus
Hawaii -- Honolulu
Illinois -- Chicago
Indiana -- Indianapolis
Iowa -- Des Moines
Kansas -- Wichita
Kentucky -- Louisville; Lexington/Fayette
Louisiana -- New Orleans; Baton Rouge; Shreveport
Maryland -- Baltimore
Massachusetts -- Boston
Michigan - Detroit; Grand Rapids
Minnesota -- Minneapolis; St. Paul
Mississippi -- Jackson
Missouri -- Kansas City; St. Louis
Nebraska -- Omaha; Lincoln
Nevada -- Las Vegas
New Mexico -- Albuquerque
New Jersey -- Newark; Jersey City
New York -- New York City; Buffalo; Rochester; Yonkers
North Carolina - Charlotte; Raleigh; Greensboro
Ohio -- Columbus; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Toledo; Akron; Dayton
Oklahoma -- Oklahoma City; Tulsa
Oregon -- Portland
Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia; Allegheny County
Tennessee -- Memphis; Nashville
Texas -- Houston; Dallas; San Antonio; El Paso; Austin; Fort Worth; Arlington; Corpus Christi; Garland; Lubbock
Utah -- Salt Lake City
Virginia -- Virginia Beach; Norfolk; Richmond
Washington -- Seattle; Spokane; Tacoma
Wisconsin -- Milwaukee; Madison
Information about MMRS is available at www.mmrs.hhs.gov.
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