The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) says it applauds the Obama Administration for proposing increases in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) FY2010 budget for public health programs.
“The ‘HHS 2010 Budget for a Healthier America’ is a fitting follow-up to recent funding bills which clearly show a strong commitment to improve the public’s health,” said Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC, APIC 2009 president. “The FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Act provided $22 million to address healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and took much-needed steps toward addressing shortfalls in many chronic disease and environmental health programs. The proposed emergency supplemental bill that is underway would improve our nation’s pandemic influenza preparedness.”
Kathy L. Warye, CEO of APIC, said, “Additionally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included support for wellness and prevention programs, including $50 million for states to implement strategies to reduce HAIs, which claim 99,000 lives each year and add more than $20 billion to the nation’s healthcare bill. We will see a significant return on this investment not only in terms of reduced infections, but reduced costs associated with those infections.”
The FY2010 budget builds upon these important investments and improves our nation’s public health outlook by including a $26 million increase in funding for the Strategic National Stockpile, increases for state and local health departments and hospitals to prepare for public health emergencies, and an increase of $30 million for the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
