Boom-and-bust federal funding after 9/11 undercut hospitals’ preparedness for pandemics

Days after 9/11, Congress awarded Washington Hospital Center millions of dollars to design a new emergency department that would treat mass casualties from a terrorist attack or infectious disease and serve as a model for hospitals across the country.

Architects crafted plans for an eight-story, spacecraft-shaped, blast-proof emergency department they called “ER One.” Experts drew up a 1,000-page report on best practices for emergency operations, and the project secured an initial investment of about $30 million in federal and district funding.

But then Congress lost interest. Continue reading.