Hanan Obeidi, MPH, CHES, Bioterrorism Preparedness Program, City of long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815, (562) 570-4382, Hanan_Obeidi@longbeach.gov, Ronald R. Arias, MPA, Director, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815, Darryl Sexton, MD, Department of Health and Human Services, City of Long Beach, 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815-1765, and S. Michael Johnson, MPA, Support Services Bureau, City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, 2525 Grand Avenue, 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815.

The connections between bioterrorism preparedness and enhancing public health infrastructure are encompassed in the critical capacities and benchmark activities the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bioterrorism Preparedness Cooperative Agreement with local health jurisdictions. This presentation will describe how a local health jurisdiction’s bioterrorism preparedness program funds are used to prepare and respond to the impact of a biological attack while strengthening its public health infrastructure through benchmark activities. While many state and local governments are experiencing budget crises, and public services are being cut, billions of federal dollars are being spent on preparing for events that may never occur. Public health has much to gain from the era of bioterrorism preparedness funding. A local health jurisdiction has seized bioterrorism preparedness as an opportunity and a mechanism to develop preparedness and response plans in the event of domestic and/or foreign terrorists unleash a deadly virus or bacteria, and apply critical activities entailed in these plans to other public health outbreaks and emergencies. The bioterrorism funding provides a city-based health department to enhance its core services and essential functions such as improved disease surveillance, evaluation of services, researching new insights and innovate solutions to health problems, and train and ensure a viable workforce with essential competencies for public health professionals. This presentation will also describe best practices and collaboration with key partners to coordinate bioterrorism preparedness and response efforts to protect the public’s health.

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