The American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) is encouraging its  members to explore potential roles for registries in strengthening State and City bioterrorism preparedness and response activities.  In a recent email alert, AIRA asserts that most registries are capable of expanding into integrated health information systems, which may be eligible to receive some of the $1.1 billion in federal funding appropriations to states for bioterrorism preparedness.  AIRA has posted a fact sheet on the potential role for registries in responding to bioterrorism on their web site at http://ww.immregistries.org.  ECBT staff found the draft version of this fact sheet to be particularly helpful when preparing testimony for cofounder Betty Bumpers before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as reported in our December newsletter.

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