WASHINGTON – The government began handing out more than $1 billion to states and cities Thursday to help prepare doctors, hospitals and health officials for a bioterrorist attack or other medical disaster.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said it was “the largest one-time investment in our nation’s public health system ever.”

The money is meant to help medical and emergency workers learn more about recognizing the signs of a bioterrorist attack or other disease outbreak and how to respond.

D.A. Henderson, the agency’s director of public health preparedness, urged local governments to put the money to use quickly because of the danger of an act of bioterrorism.

“We don’t sleep well at night because we are afraid we will have another event – hope we don’t – but there’s just too much out there that’s threatening,” Henderson said at a news conference with Thompson.

The money can pay to improve labs, train doctors, upgrade computers, prepare hospitals to treat a huge influx of sick or injured, and other planning.

The state allotments range from $6.5 million for Wyoming, with the smallest population, to $69.7 million for California, the most populous. Plus, Los Angeles County will be eligible for an additional $27.9 million.

Three other cities will get their own money for bioterrorism planning and creating regional hospital plans: New York, $25.8 million; Chicago, $12.7 million; and Washington, $12 million.

About $14.6 million of the nearly $1.1 billion also will go to 49 cities to help them prepare plans under an existing emergency preparedness program.

The state of Maine will receive $8.5 million in funding, $1.7 million which will be released immediately, according to an announcement made by Maine’s two senators.

Maine’s funding includes $1.5 million to assist in a state preparedness plan, with an additional $147,129 for development of regional plans to help hospitals respond to a biological attack, according to a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Once the state’s preparedness plan is approved, Maine will receive an additional $6.2 million, Snowe stated.

For the development of a hospital response plan, the federal government will provide a total of $735,643 to Maine, including the initial hospital funding.

“This substantial funding provided today will make a real difference for state emergency efforts, and for community leaders throughout Maine,” Snowe stated.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins called the funding “critical to Maine’s ability to prepare for and prevent such a [bioterrorism] crisis.”

States can begin spending 20 percent of their funds immediately. To receive the rest of the money, each state must submit a comprehensive plan for improving its core public health system.

The plans are due by March 15. Thompson said HHS would review each plan within 30 days and release the rest of the state’s money when its plan is approved.

“We’re not going to be heavy-handed on it. We just want to make sure the money is well-spent,” Thompson said.

After accepting a large mock-up of a check for his state, Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer said the money would help prepare for all sorts of health emergencies. Geringer stressed the importance of earning public confidence so people will follow emergency directions.

“If the public is confident that their leaders, particularly their health leaders, know what’s going on, know how to deal with it, they will comply,” said Geringer, a Republican. “If they don’t, anarchy breaks out. And it will break out quickly.”