A federal program designed to help metropolitan public health
agencies prepare to deliver essential medicines to the public
after a large-scale bioterror attack or natural disease outbreak
has succeeded in improving the level of readiness, according to
a new RAND Corporation study. Researchers found that the federal
Cities Readiness Initiative, a program active in 72 metropolitan
areas, appears to have improved agencies’ ability to rapidly and
widely dispense life-saving medications and other medical
supplies in the event of a large-scale bioterror attack or a
naturally occurring infectious disease outbreak. The study from
RAND Health concludes there is merit in extending the program so
the impact can be further monitored, although the analysis did
not assess the cost-effectiveness of the effort or compare it to
other public health priorities. “The Cities Readiness Initiative
has helped agencies in the nation’s most-populous regions become
better able to dispense life-saving medication following a
bioterroris