State Health Director Maureen Dempsey has appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, telling Senators Missouri has been planning against bioterrorism for a decade. She adds those plans took on new urgency after the September 11th attacks. Dempsey says health and law enforcement officials must work together at the first sign of an outbreak, and she says turf battles between state and federal officials need to be set aside. Dempsey advocates cross-training between the disciplines and the jurisdictions. She says the federal government should provide more money and better coordination for the battle against bioterrorism.
