The CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund provides immediate, flexible resources to CDC experts addressing public health emergencies in the U.S. - whether natural disasters, emerging disease outbreaks or bioterrorist threats.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax attacks, the CDC Foundation established the Emergency Response Fund to give CDC what it needs most in an emergency: flexibility and access to immediate resources. Federal dollars, even during emergencies, are tied to restrictions and purchasing procedures that can limit CDC’s ability to act quickly. The Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund gives CDC a backup source of funding to fill critical gaps and meet immediate needs.
The Fund was activated for the first time in 2005 to support the public health response to Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region. Donations to the Fund from Kaiser Permanente, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other organizations and individuals enabled the CDC Foundation to immediately respond to requests for help from CDC and their public health partners in the gulf coast region. The Foundation was also able to provide new facilities for two public health agencies on the Mississippi coast, replacing buildings that had been destroyed by the storm.
The Fund was most recently activated to aid CDC’s response to the H1N1 flu outbreak. Activating the Fund gave CDC responders access to special credit cards connected to the Fund, enabling them to immediately purchase the equipment, supplies or services they needed to respond to the outbreak in the field.
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