Hospitals are now classified as first responders, making them eligible for federal first-responder funding, under a new homeland security directive issued by President Bush. The directive calls for the development of a national preparedness goal and outlines policies and standards for federal agencies and states to meet to strengthen overall preparedness for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks and other major disasters and emergencies. Bush said better coordination is needed to ensure first responders -- outlined in the directive as emergency response providers, emergency management, public health, clinical care, public works and other skilled support personnel -- are prepared financially and otherwise to respond to major disasters and terrorist events.
To receive federal first-responder funding, states must ensure their preparedness strategies meet the objectives of the national preparedness goal by Sept. 30, 2005. State and local governments are still the primary mechanism for getting federal preparedness funds to hospitals. The directive also calls for the creation of a single point of access to the federal preparedness assistance program within 60 days, and full implementation of a closely coordinated interagency grant process for states also to be completed by Sept. 30, 2005.