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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |
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Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 |
Contact: | HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 |
With 72 cities already aided by HHS under the MMRS program, today's awards bring the total number of cities in the system to 97. Another 25 are slated to be added to the system next year, which would bring the total to 122.
"New York was among the first cities to receive funding and technical assistance from HHS to develop its Metropolitan Medical Response System, and that investment paid off last month," Secretary Thompson said. "The rapid, coordinated response in New York was helped by years of preparation and hard work by the city and the region, with assistance from HHS.
"These funds will help cities throughout our country deal with the public health consequences of disasters of all kinds."
Today's contracts total $10 million, or $400,000 for each city. Cities taking part in the program receive another $200,000 in a second year under their contracts. 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):
Arkansas -- Little Rock
Alabama -- Mobile; Montgomery
California -- Glendale; Huntington Beach; Stockton
Colorado -- Colorado Springs
Florida -- Hialeah
Georgia -- Columbus
Iowa -- Des Moines
Louisiana -- Baton Rouge; Shreveport
Michigan -- Grand Rapids
Mississippi -- Jackson
Nebraska -- Lincoln
New York -- Yonkers
North Carolina -- Raleigh; Greensboro
Ohio -- Dayton
Texas -- Garland; Lubbock
Virginia -- Richmond
Washington -- Spokane; Tacoma
Wisconsin -- Madison
Cities receiving MMRS contracts are selected based on their population size. This is the fourth 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 response among District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia emergency and medical response jurisdictions. The concept was then applied in Atlanta, Ga., to help the city prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games.
The contracts are especially aimed at improving local jurisdictions' ability to respond to the possible release of a chemical or biological disease agent, but also serve to improve local response to any event involving mass casualties.
"This program is unique in that it pulls together fire and emergency medical services, hospitals and public health officials, and law enforcement responders in a united and well-coordinated effort to protect the public," Secretary Thompson said.
MMRS planning specifically addresses early identification of the 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 which have received MMRS contracts since 1996 are:
Altogether HHS has provided more than $53 million to support MMRS systems since 1996.
The HHS-led emergency response system includes the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), a partnership of federal agencies and the private sector. The NDMS also comprises more than 7,000 private sector medical and support personnel organized into 80 disaster assistance teams. These teams are deployed to provide immediate medical attention to the sick and injured during disasters, as well as mortuary and veterinary care, when local emergency response systems become overwhelmed. The NDMS is led by HHS' Office of Emergency Preparedness.
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