In a hearing Tuesday, Congressional lawmakers called for improvement to the federal government’s response to the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives, The Associated Press reported.

In written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology regarding the federal response to the H1N1 outbreak, Department of Homeland Security officials said the agency was preparing for pandemics for many years. “However, we learned this past spring that much of what actually occurred in the H1N1 outbreak did not align with prior avian flu planning,” they wrote.

On Friday, President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 flu outbreak a national emergency, thereby temporarily waiving certain requirements placed on Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule.

The emergency declaration gives Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius additional powers including the temporary authority to grant waivers that expedite the process of establishing emergency rooms for treating patients with H1N1 separately from other patients.

For additional information, read The Associated Press’ article.