Sens. Menendez, Hirono urge increased public health preparedness program funding

A group of lawmakers recently pushed for increased funding for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program (PHEP) and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).

Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led 24 of their colleagues in forwarding correspondence to the Senate’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding the funding increase in Fiscal Year 2021.

“As we confront COVID-19, the federal government must also make the important investments to ensure that our hospitals, public health systems, and their respective preparedness programs are ready to face future challenges,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without increased funding, state and local health officials will face difficult choices about how to prioritize federal dollars, potentially leaving our communities unprepared when new public health threats emerged.”

The legislators maintain the regular annual appropriations to PHEP and HPP are insufficient to empower the health care system to respond to public health emergencies adequately. They are petitioning appropriators to allocate enough funding to achieve long-term preparedness so that hospitals and public health departments do not drift from one crisis to the next.

“We ask that you increase federal funding for PHEP and HPP to ensure that public health agencies, hospitals, and health care coalitions have the necessary resources to respond to public health and other emergencies and disasters,” the senators concluded.