Is The U.S. Prepared For A Nuclear Emergency?
ProPublica: U.S. Health Care System Unprepared for Major Nuclear EmergencyA blunt assessment circulating among American officials says "Current capabilities can only handle a few radiation injuries at any one time." That assessment [was] prepared by the Department of Homeland Security in 2010 ... A report prepared last year by the Council on State and Territorial Epidemiologists was equally pessimistic ... it concluded that "In almost every measure of public health capacity and capability, the public health system remains poorly prepared to adequately respond to a major radiation emergency incident." President Obama's proposed budget would cut funding for a federal hospital preparedness program by about 10 percent (Fink, 4/7). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.