SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR RELEASE: June 6, 2002
CONTACT: Doneen Hollingsworth, 605-773-3364

     PIERRE – South Dakota will further beef up its ability to respond to bioterrorism threats with $7,222,917 in federal grants, Governor Bill Janklow announced today.

     The Governor said the state received $6,680,486 from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically for public health preparedness and response. In addition, the state received $542,431 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to help hospitals develop their own response plans.

     "Since September 11 we've worked hard to prepare for the possibility of a bioterrorism attack or any other emergency or disaster. We've created an Office of Homeland Security, set up a toll-free hotline for citizens, and updated state laws to make sure we're ready to respond rapidly and completely to any threat," said the Governor. "These grants give us an important new resource to build a strong public health system that can respond not only to bioterrorism, but also to other outbreaks of infectious disease."

     The Governor said the grants will help provide specialized training for health providers, expand disease surveillance, and create a mobile laboratory that can bring testing capacity anywhere in the state. "Last fall's anthrax scare was a good lesson in how important it is to have lab testing readily available," said the Governor. "In the event of a bioterrorism threat, this mobile lab will let us bring testing capacity right to the incident where it's needed."

     And in an important lesson learned from the Black Hills fire, northeast flooding, Spencer and Oglala tornadoes, and windstorms in Faulkton, Emery and Estelline, the Governor said the grant will also support the creation of an electronic communications network linking the state health department with hospitals, clinics, labs, and emergency medical services. "A reliable communications system is critical in any emergency, whether it's responding to a forest fire or an anthrax threat. That's why we're going to wire the health care system the same way we did the schools," said the Governor.

     Over the next few months, the health department will be working with health care partners to conduct an assessment of the existing response capabilities and to set up the electronic network. Individuals with questions about bioterrorism preparedness and response can contact the department through the Homeland Security hotline, 1-866-HOMLAND or through the agency's web site at www.state.sd.us/doh/.