Economic Crisis Bringing Down Post-911 Progress
This is the gist of the report entitled “Ready or Not: Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism” published online early this week by the non-profit organization Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
TFAH reveals that, while the events of the 9-11 attack enabled a rise in efforts on the country’s internal defenses against conventional, nuclear, and bio-chemical attacks, the current economic crisis is effectively pulling these efforts down.
Specifically, a combination of cuts on federal, state and local budget allocations for specific programs such as the Cities Readiness Initiative which involves the institutionalization of rapid reaction teams for the distribution and administration of vaccines and medicine in times of exigencies, chemical testing labs in a number of states, Career Epidemiology Field Offices, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) puts states’ and local governments’ capabilities at risk in responding to man-made or natural disasters.
Argues Jeff Levi, Executive Director of TFAH, ten years of progress is on a freefall as “…some of the most elementary capabilities – including the ability to identify and contain outbreaks, provide vaccines and medications during emergencies, and treat people during mass traumas – are experiencing cuts in every state across the country.”
In the previous year alone, 41 states which includes the capital Washington, D.C. reduced funding on public health with 30 of the states including D.C. doing it for two years in a row and with 15 carrying it out for three years now. From 2005 to 2012, federal funding for state and local preparedness programs dropped by 38 percent. Meanwhile, more budget reductions are underway.
States, such as Wisconsin and Milwaukee, suffer from the said cuts as programs are put to the back-burner or scrapped. For instance, Wisconsin stands to lose federal funding for “Level 1” testing which means it will not have the basic capability to protect its citizens from chemical terrorism. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has since lost federal funding for its public health emergency preparedness programs and also risks losing support for its efforts in establishing rapid reaction for the distribution of drugs in times of emergencies.
The report presented a number of recommendations for the improvement of the country’s preparedness. Primary is the assurance of sustained and sufficient funding for its core defenses. Others include the improvement of bio-surveillance for the rapid detection and tracking of attacks, improved R&D on the production of vaccines and drugs, and an enhanced capability to prepare for the deluge of victims in certain points during times of emergencies.