HHS Announces $25 Million Available For Competitive Grants Program

August 10, 2007 -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that $25 million is available to hospitals and other health care facilities via a competitive emergency care grant program focused on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

The program will award grants for projects that will:

• Help integrate public and private emergency care system capabilities with public health and other first responder systems through periodic preparedness and response capabilities evaluation via drills and exercises; and integrating public and private sector public health and medical donations and volunteers.
  
  
• Improving the efficiency, effectiveness and expandability of emergency care systems and overall preparedness and response capabilities in hospitals, other health care facilities (including mental health and long-term care facilities), and trauma care and emergency medical service systems, with respect to public health emergencies.
  
  
• Develop plans for strengthening public health emergency medical management, and the provision of emergency care and treatment capabilities.

Grant applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sept. 7, 2007, and may be filed online via the federal grants portal, www.grants.gov. After review, a total of no more than three grants will be awarded.