CDC will award up to 62 one-year grants totaling $24 million for projects that use IT to boost community preparedness and response to pandemic influenza outbreaks, Government Health IT reports.
CDC will fund projects that support:
- Pandemic influenza surveillance;
- Integration of state immunization information systems to track pandemic countermeasures; and
- Development of statewide Public Health Information Network-compliant electronic mortality reporting systems.
CDC also will support projects that identify ways to engage the public in civic health decision-making and those that enable collaborative planning among providers to ensure appropriate services during an outbreak.
This is the final round of funding in a series of HHS grants from a 2005 congressional appropriation of $350 million to help upgrade state and local response to flu epidemics. CDC previously awarded $100 million to 62 jurisdictions in March 2006 to identify gaps in preparedness and another $225 million in July 2006 to the same grantees to address those preparedness gaps.
The latest grants will only be available to the 62 previous awardees and will fund demonstration projects that are deemed replicable,
Government Health IT reports.
Grant applications are due March 17, and the grants will be awarded April 18 (Hayes,
Government Health IT, 1/16).