TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to accept grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security through the State Office of Homeland Security for the purpose of enhancing the City’s homeland security preparedness; and increase appropriations in the amount of $300,000 in the Health Fund (SR 130) of the Health and Human Services Department. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management recently advised the City of Long Beach that the 2006 State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) funds have been awarded. These grants are appropriated by the federal Department of Homeland Security and managed through the State of California and Los Angeles County. Long Beach received $300,000 for the Department of Health & Human Services (Health Department). City Council authorization is required to accept this grant and increase appropriations in the Health Department.
Prior to the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent anthrax attacks, the City's Health Department was already actively developing a Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Plan to address epidemiological and laboratory responses during overt or covert biological events. Soon after, the Health Department received federal funding through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a comprehensive public health emergency management program, which focused on the capacity and infrastructure building of key public health functions including planning, surveillance and epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, information technology, risk communication, and workforce development. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (December 2003) identified public health agencies as first responders, reinforcing its place at the table with other traditional first responders such as law enforcement, fire and emergency management.
The Health Department has established a robust Public Health Emergency Management (PH EM) ...
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