In preparation for a terrorist attack, Georgetown University Hospital and thirty other non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area were awarded federal grants this month to fortify their facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security gave out $25 million nationwide to hospitals, schools and churches that were deemed vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson. Georgetown Hospital was among eight local hospitals awarded grants ranging from $26,000 to $100,000.
“This funding will be critically important in protecting those citizens who work in non-profit institutions that may be deemed ‘high risk,’” Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) said in a press release.
Until last year, money from Homeland Security was channeled to non-profits through the city government, with the District of Columbia receiving approximately $256 million since the Department’s creation in 2002.
Under new Congressional legislation, however, the Department now gives $25 million to non-profits directly, Homeland Security spokesperson Valerie Smith said-a change that can lead to inefficiencies in the system.
“Local governments know their needs better than the federal government,” Smith said. “Direct funding to non-profits doesn’t meet an unfilled need, but adds another level of bureaucracy.”
