CDC has awarded nearly $28 million to a public health research firm and seven universities to help first responders address pandemics or other health emergencies, Government Health IT reports.
American Type Culture Collection -- a not-for-profit public health research firm in Manassas, Va. -- received a $16.9 million, one-year contract to develop a Web-based system, called the CDC Influenza Reagent Resource. The system designed to improve approved laboratories' access to influenza viruses, test kits and testing substances.
Earlier this month, CDC awarded $10.9 million to public health schools to create Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers.
The grants went to:
- Emory University;
- Harvard School of Public Health;
- Johns Hopkins University;
- The University of Minnesota;
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
- The University of Pittsburgh; and
- The University of Washington.
The schools will use the grants to develop sustainable preparedness systems, as well as to establish metrics to measure the effectiveness of emergency response systems (Hayes, Government Health IT, 10/13).