As the Bronx and city prepare for the possibility of a flu pandemic, the federal government is stepping in to help pay for it.

City officials have been working on a plan to make sure New York could deal with a flu outbreak. The government is funding an $8.2 million grant to help the plan work. Parts of the plan include supplying hospitals with additional ventilators and masks and training staff members.

Earlier in the month, Mayor Bloomberg (R-NY) and the health commissioner unveiled the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan. The plan outlines how to control infection at health care facilities, use limited resources effectively and enact disease containment procedures. Meanwhile, police and fire departments are continuing to train and take part in mock pandemic exercises.