Cleveland area hospitals are prepared to handle a mass casualty event, such as the terrorist bombings in Brussels, according to an article on the Cleveland Plain Dealer website.
However, federal funding for training and supplies has been cut by more than 50 percent in the last decade, raising questions about preparedness.
The Center for Health Affairs, an advocacy alliance that works with 34 Northeast Ohio receives annual federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services to help hospitals respond to disasters.
"We were receiving close to $2 million (in 2003)," Beth Gatlin, the alliance's director of emergency preparedness, said. "Now we're down to $800,000."
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