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WASHINGTON - Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., announced Monday that Yale New Haven Health System will receive $3.6 million to train emergency planners and first responders to help special-needs citizens during a disaster.
"This year's active hurricane season reminds us of how important our first responders and preventers are in saving lives during a time of disaster," Lieberman said. "Individuals with special needs face additional hurdles in evacuations, and this grant will help train local and regional officials in the special care the most vulnerable among us need."
The grant for $3,617,678 will be used to set up a program to train emergency planners and responders in the unique evacuation and shelter-in-place requirements of medically dependent persons residing in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. The program will train 35,000 people online and in classrooms.
The grant was awarded as part of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Competitive Training Grant Program (CTGP). In FY 2008 CTGP will provide approximately $27.2 million to address high-priority homeland security training needs. The Yale New Haven Health System received the largest of the 11 CTGP grants awarded this year.
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