MISSISSIPPI TO RECEIVE $3.34 MILLION FOR FLU SEASON PREPARATION
Cochran Says Funding Related to H1N1 Flu Strain, Fall Flu Season Outlook
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today said Mississippi will receive more than $3.34 million to continue its response to the H1N1 flu virus and to prepare for the fall flu season.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded two grants to Mississippi, including $2.48 million in Public Health Emergency Response Grant funds and $859,736 in Hospital Preparedness Grant funds.
“The outbreak of the H1N1 flu and the sustained public health threat it poses means our hospitals and health caregivers must be prepared. These grants are to be used to ensure that these caregivers and medical facilities are ready to help treat and prevent the spread of H1N1 and other strains of the flu,” Cochran said.
The funding derives from the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act signed into law last month. Cochran is the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the subcommittee that funds HHS.
The Mississippi State Department of Health currently reports 207 cases of the H1N1 flu—the so-called swine flu—throughout the state.
In all, HHS awarded $350 million to help states, territories and communities handle the flu season.
Related links:
- Mississippi State Department of Health H1N1 Flu
http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/14,0,334.html
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Flu.gov
http://www.flu.gov/
###
