The North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center is receiving a federal grant.
The burn center in the UNC School of Medicine’s Surgery Department has been awarded the $295,298 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant was announced Wednesday by North Carolina’s Fourth District United States Congressman David Price, who is the former chairman and current senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee.
Price released a statement after announcing the award.
“I am thrilled that the Jaycee Burn Center has received this funding, which will help prevent dangerous house fires and ensure that first responders have the resources and training they need to effectively treat burn victims. The research conducted by the Jaycee Center – especially their work with low-income and other vulnerable populations – provides a great public health service to our state’s residents and can save lives.”
Chair of the UNC Medical Center’s Department of Surgery Dr. Melina Kibbe said the school was honored to receive the award.
“As Chair of a leading public academic department of surgery, I could not be more proud of the work of our people in the Burn Center. Burn prevention and education remains a critically important issue for our state and the nation and so I am very grateful and appreciative for this recognition and grant award from FEMA.”
The burn center is described as “the nation’s leading center for burn research,” in a release announcing the grant. The federal funding will go toward “identifying at-risk populations who could benefit from fire safety education and early warning devices and conducting first responder trainings to improve pre-hospital treatment of burn victims.”
Burn center medical director Dr. Bruce Cairs, who is also chair of the faculty at UNC, and burn outreach director Earnest Grant will direct that research.
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