WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday it will release $350 million in preparedness grants to help state and local public health programs prepare for the H1N1 flu, or swine flu.

A White House statement said flu preparedness is "a shared responsibility." The administration also announced it will launch an online flu prevention campaign.

HHS officials said the Obama administration wants to send "a strong message to the nation" that it's time to start planning and preparing for the fall flu season in light of the ongoing H1N1 flu outbreak. The government is prepared to commit resources, training and new tools to help state and local governments and  families get ready, the officials said.

On Thursday, White House Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined delegations from 54 states, tribes and territories at the H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

The summit kicks off the government's nationwide fall flu preparedness efforts, Sebelius said.

"Over the course of coming weeks and months, we will move aggressively to prepare the nation for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of the H1N1 virus," she said. "We ask the American people to become actively engaged with their own preparation and prevention. It's a responsibility we all share."

According to Napolitano, the summit will help government officials continue an "aggressive preparation for all possible H1N1 virus outbreak scenarios to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our country safe and healthy."

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who moderated a panel discussion at the summit, said federal transparency will be key.

"The experience in the spring taught us that while earlier pandemic flu planning efforts were effective, there are also areas for improvement," he said. "Effective response requires accurate and timely information that is as close to real time as possible."