724 ■ Medical Disaster Response
authority. The creation of this system will allow the region to be relatively prepared for a catastrophic or mass casualty event. Government funding is another area that can be investigated for the potential to provide financial support and contribution. The two main sources for such gov- ernment funding are grants and loans. It should be noted that both of these sources are extremely competitive. It is not easy to secure grants and loans from the gov- ernment, because a finite amount of money must be spread out among a very large number of institutions. The government, particularly the federal government through the Department of Homeland-Security, will prioritize and distribute funds first and foremost by need. That need is defined as the risk of potential terrorist activity in the region and the cost to improve the security of that area to prevent such a terrorist act. Unfortunately, there has never been a truly equitable system for the distribution of Homeland Security dollars. Other priorities are more politically motivated. These are the funds that are dis- tributed through congressional sources. The funds are generally tied to bills or are variable through discretionary funds provided to each senator or representative for eir constituencies. Some of the sources are particular to individual politicians, and ome to regional funds or other grouped entities. Some require cooperation from several members of Congress for distribution. Still others are earmarked for special projects. Typically, the funds fall into certain categories for distribution, including educa- tion or infrastructure, such as roads. The ability to access these funds is dependen upon tailoring the proposal to fit the pool of funding dollars and convincing th politicians to support the hospitals program above the other applicants.