The Department of Health and Human Services has provided $18.1 million in grant money to encourage partnerships among healthcare facilities for emergency preparedness, the agency recently disclosed.

The partnership grants require close coordination among health officials from state, local and private sectors, according to HHS officials. Among those receiving grants are the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the New York State Department of Health.

Projects selected to receive grants are focused on planning for the surge of patients and its regional impact during public health emergencies; regional health emergency coordination; and the development of functional public health emergency exercises to evaluate community and hospital preparedness.