Tampabay: USF center wins antiterror mone

TAMPA -- The Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of South Florida will receive $1-million in federal antiterrorism funds for training health and rescue workers to respond to bioterror attacks.

The center, part of the USF College of Public Health, is among 15 centers nationally named Tuesday to a national network of centers for public health preparedness. The network is designed to help state and local health officials better prepare for terrorist attacks.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Largo, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, announced the funding Tuesday. Each of the 15 centers gets $1-million. Another $5-million will go to establishing other centers.

USF's is the only center in Florida.

"The funding of these centers comes at a crucial period as the nation moves forward to improve its public health infrastructure to respond swiftly and effectively to threats and emergencies," Thompson said in a statement. "This new funding will help centers identify, assess, and improve critical gaps in preparedness for the state and the localities that they serve."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began organizing the network in September 2000, but funding for it got a big boost after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent anthrax scares. USF opened its center about a year ago.

Dr. Betty Gulitz, associate dean of the USF College of Public Health, said it helps train local rescue workers, public health workers and physicians to respond to major disasters. It works closely with USF's Center for Biological Defense.

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