ASPR HPP Grant

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 1, 2011 Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343

HHS grants boost disaster preparedness in hospitals, health care systems The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today awarded more than $352 million to continue improving disaster preparedness of hospitals and health care systems within every state, and three large metropolitan areas.

From Hospitals to Healthcare Coalitions: Transforming Health Preparedness and Response in Our Communities, the program’s first state-by-state report, identifies the advances that states have made in preparing hospitals for all types of disasters. The report also discusses the next steps the program will take to boost community resilience.

All states, eight U.S. territories and four large metropolitan areas participate in the cooperative agreement grant program, which provides federal funds, technical assistance, and guidelines for hospital preparedness. Of the more than 6,300 hospitals across the nation, more than 85 percent take advantage of the program.
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• Download the Report: "From Hospitals to Healthcare Coalitions: Transforming Health Preparedness and Response in our Communities"          

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) contracted with the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Center) to conduct a two-year, comprehensive assessment of hospital preparedness in the U.S. from the time of the establishment of the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) in 2002 through mid-2007 and to develop tools and recommendations for evaluating and improving future hospital preparedness efforts. Hospitals Rising to the Challenge: The First Five Years of the U.S. Hospital Preparedness Program and Priorities Going Forward is the second major deliverable for the project. It includes our assessment of the impact of the HPP on hospital preparedness from 2002 through 2007 and our preliminary recommendations for improving the state of U.S. hospital disaster preparedness.

• Download the Evaluation Report: "The First Five Years of the U.S. Hospital Preparedness Program and Priorities Going Forward"

These documents provide guidance to local health departments (LHD) and Local Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Entities for 2010-11 on applying for federal public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) funds.

Download the 2010 - 2011 Local Guidance Document

• Attachment 1 – Local Allocations
• Attachment 2 – Public Health Emergency Preparedness Statewide Strategic Direction
• Attachment 3 – LHD PHEP and GF Pandemic Influenza 2010-11 Work Plan
• Attachment 4 – LHD CDC and GF Pandemic Influenza 2009-10 Work Plan
• Attachment 5 – PHEP and GF Pan Flu Budget Example 
• Attachment 6 – SNS RAND Drill All Staff Call Down Data Collection Sheet
• Attachment 7 – SNS RAND Site Call Down Data Collection Sheet
• Attachment 8 – SNS RAND Facility Set Up Data Collection Sheet
• Attachment 9 – SNS Rand Drill Picklist Assessment Data Collection Sheet
• Attachment 10 – Dispensing Assessment Time Study Data Sheet 
• Attachment 11 – Laboratory Training Programs for Local Health Departments
• Attachment 12 –  Training, Drills and Exercises Form
• Attachment 13 – Surge Bed Capacity Form
• Attachment 14 – Local HPP Entity Work Plan
• Attachment 15 – 2010-2011 HPP Budget 
• Attachment 16 – 2010-2011 HPP Budget Example
• Attachment 17 – HPP Participating Healthcare Facility Form 
• Attachment 18 – NIMS Compliance 
• Attachment 19 – AAR Reporting Form
• Attachment 20 – HICS Acronyms
• Attachment 21 – HPP Data Elements Worksheet
• Attachment 22 – Allowable/Non-Allowable Items Matrix 
• Attachment 23 – TAR Workplan
• Attachment 24 – Comprehensive Agreement

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO), Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), requests applications for State and jurisdictional hospital preparedness cooperative agreements (CA), as authorized by section 319C-2 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) (P.L. 109-417). This authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to enable such entities to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, provides funding for these awards (P.L. 110-161). Surge capacity is defined as the ability of a healthcare system to adequately care for increased numbers of patients. In 2003, as a planning target HPP defined surge capacity for beds as 500 beds/million population. In 2006, the HPP also defined surge capability as the ability of healthcare systems to treat the unusual or highly specialized medical needs produced as a result of surge capacity.

The HPP started to lay out a series of capabilities that all healthcare organizations participating in this program must possess and this funding opportunity announcement continues to clarify those capabilities.The majority of federal funds (ideally seventy-five percent or more) should be distributed to healthcare facilities. Healthcare facilities are defined broadly as any combination of the following: outpatient facilities and centers (e.g., behavioral health, substance abuse, urgent care), inpatient facilities and centers (e.g., trauma, state and federal veterans, long-term, children's, tribal), and other entities (e.g., poison control, emergency medical services, nursing).

The activities and funding provided through the CA are for the purposes of exercising and improving preparedness plans for all hazards including pandemic influenza.The awardee should work with all potential sub-awardees to develop activities that clearly integrate and enhance preparedness activities with the overall effect of making healthcare systems function in more efficient, resilient, and coordinated manners.Awardees are reminded that these funds are to be used to supplement and develop not supplant current resources supporting healthcare preparedness.

• More information

• View the document

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO), Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), requests applications for State and jurisdictional hospital preparedness cooperative agreements (CA), as authorized by section 319C-2 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) (P.L. 109-417).

This authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to enable such entities to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, provides funding for these awards.

• Federal Guidance Document

This document provides guidance to local health departments (LHD) and Local Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Entities for 2009-10, on applying for federal public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) funds and H1N1 supplemental funds issued by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HPP and the State GF monies. In order to ensure greater coordination of separate funding streams and maximize integration of funds, CDPH is issuing a single guidance and Comprehensive Agreement for all funding sources available as of the date of issuance of this guidance.

• Read More / Download Documents

The federal Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) enhances the ability of hospitals and health care systems to prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Current program priority areas include interoperable communication systems, bed tracking, personnel management, fatality management planning and hospital evacuation planning. During the past five years HPP funds have also improved bed and personnel surge capacity, decontamination capabilities, isolation capacity, pharmaceutical supplies, training, education, drills and exercises.

Hospitals, outpatient facilities, health centers, poison control centers, EMS and other healthcare partners work with the appropriate state or local health department to acquire funding and develop healthcare system preparedness through this program. Funding is distributed directly to the Health Department of the State or political subdivision of a State (cities and counties are considered political subdivisions of States).

Local Guidance Documents:

• Local Guidance - Narrative
• Attachment 1: 2008-2009 Local Allocations
• Attachment 2: HPP Budget Allocation Breakdown
• Attachment 3: Local Public Health Emergency Preparedness Priorities
• Attachment 11: Local HPP Entity 2008-09 Workplan
• Attachment 12: 2008-09 HPP Participating Healthcare Facilities Form
• Attachment 13: NIMS Tracking Tool
• Attachment 14: CHA AAR - HPP Drills Exercises Report Form
• Attachment 15: Hospital Incident Command System Acronyms
• Attachment 16: 2008-09 HPP Budget
• Attachment 17: Training Drill and Exercises Form