Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Florida's Public Health Preparedness Has Improved; Further Adjustments Needed

Report 04-75, November 2004




Report Summary

  • The Department of Health's Office of Public Health Preparedness has obtained the maximum allowable amount of federal bio-terrorism funds. These funds have increased the state's ability to respond to any public health emergency, including terrorist activities, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters.
  • Federal funding for bioterrorism may end by Fiscal Year 2007. The department should work with the state healthcare system to conduct a healthcare/medical risk assessment or set benchmarks to prioritize future expenditures and provide the Legislature with a plan for maximizing remaining federal funds as well as options for possible transition to state funding for essential positions or expenditures.
  • The Legislature should revise Ch. 943, Florida Statutes, which currently provides for a separate emergency response structure for terrorism from that routinely used for all other emergencies. The state all-hazards team is well-trained and experienced and facilitates optimal response from all emergency personnel, including law enforcement, and having two separate response systems in statutes could lead to confusion about what to do during a catastrophic event.


Related Reports
  1. The Legislature and the Department of Health Have Strengthened Public Health Preparedness
    Report 07-30 May 2007
  2. State Faces Challenges to Improving Community Public Health in Florida
    Report 03-71 December 2003
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
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