Immediate Release
July 16, 2009
Little Rock -- Dr. Paul Halverson, director of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and state health officer, announced today the availability of $3,234,809 in grants to help Arkansas prepare for a resurgence of the H1N1 influenza virus and the fall flu season. The recent supplemental appropriations bill signed into law by President Obama on June 24, 2009 approved the funding for states.
Halverson said, “These are much needed resources to help protect Arkansans as we prepare for the 2009-2010 flu season. We will vaccinate as many citizens in the state as we can during the fall flu season. We take the flu seriously, and without a doubt, flu shots are the most effective way to prevent contracting the disease. Each year, 36,000 Americans die from complications of flu. This year in addition to the fall flu season, we will also be working to prepare for the possibility of a vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are monitoring countries such as Brazil and Australia who are experiencing their flu season now to determine if the severity of H1N1 influenza is increasing there. We are seeing an increase in the number of H1N1 cases in Arkansas this summer. So it’s important to plan for vaccinating against this strain of influenza if it resurges in the fall as well. The H1N1 flu vaccine is in development at the national level.”
A total of $260 million in Public Health Emergency Response Grants and $90 million in Hospital Preparedness grants will be distributed nationwide.
Dr. William Mason, branch chief for Public Health Preparedness, said, “We have been meeting internally at ADH with professionals from many areas in the department and with partnering agencies to strategize about vaccinating nearly 1.5 million Arkansans in a very short time frame. We have conducted mass vaccination clinics in every county in Arkansas since 2003, and have a proven track record of success. While the task before us is daunting, this funding will help to ease some of the issues surrounding mass vaccinations.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Emergency Response grants help state public health departments perform a variety of functions, including preparing for potential vaccination campaigns, implementing strategies to reduce people’s exposure to the 2009 novel H1N1 flu and improving influenza surveillance and investigations.
Hospital Preparedness grants enhance the ability of hospitals and health care systems to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Local outbreaks of the novel H1N1 virus have produced a surge of patients at hospitals, and these grants will help ensure hospitals are ready for future outbreaks that may impact their community.
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