Almost $49 million in grants awarded to fight infectious diseases

HHS announced nearly $49 million in grants to state health departments to help them address the spread of infectious diseases. The funds—the third such installment provided to states under the healthcare reform law—will go toward ramping up information technology systems, hiring and training new staff, and purchasing new equipment, according to a government news release.

“Today's awards support the critical work of public health departments to prevent, track and respond to new and emerging infectious diseases,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in the release.

All states received funds for combating healthcare-associated infections, and 16 states, including Maryland, Tennessee and Wisconsin, received grants specifically for preventing HAIs across settings of care, HHS said.

Additionally, HHS awarded grants to 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and five U.S. cities to increase meaningful-use capabilities.

“Four states will receive additional funding to advance the national implementation of electronic laboratory records specifically addressing healthcare-associated infections (Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina and New Mexico),” according to the release.

The grants are part of the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provided expanded funding for prevention and public health initiatives. They are awarded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.