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Healthcare corp. expects $657.8K for emergency preparedness
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Posted on May 10 2012
By Clarissa V. David
Reporter
Reporter
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. expects the approval of a cooperative agreement that would give the corporation $657,810 to strengthen all-hazards emergency preparedness in the CNMI.
The Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement would enable the corporation to achieve 15 public health and hospital preparedness capabilities and other activities that promote safer and more resilient communities.
“These funds work to secure the CNMI from all public health threats,” said corporation chief executive officer Juan N. Babauta.
Babauta said the cooperative agreement was submitted “early this year” and is something that the Commonwealth needs to re-apply for annually.
“A lot of it goes into staffing, equipment, and supplies for readiness for any kind of disaster,” he told Saipan Tribune, noting that the approval of the cooperative agreement will be announce “anytime now.”
The agreement, administered by the corporation’s Emergency Preparedness Program led by director Warren F. Villagomez, is under the review of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In a statement, the corporation said the CNMI has made “tremendous” advances in public health and hospital preparedness and response since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Among the areas focused on by the cooperative agreement include advancing public health and hospital preparedness for public health surveillance, community preparedness, medical countermeasure dispensing, responder safety and health, emergency operations coordination, and emergency public information and warning.
The cooperative agreement also deals with lessons learned during recent large-scale incidents like the H1N1 influenza pandemic response by encouraging health departments to develop and implement strategies for effective local emergency response.
