I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 903 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance the roles of dentists 

and allied dental personnel in the Nation’s disaster response framework, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2009 

Mr. STUPAK (for himself and Mrs. MILLER of Michigan) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance the 

roles of dentists and allied dental personnel in the Nation’s disaster response framework, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Dental Emergency Responder Act of 2009’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 


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TITLE I—PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESPONSE 

Sec. 101. National health security strategy. 

Sec. 102. All-hazards public health and medical response curricula and training. 

TITLE II—HOMELAND SECURITY 

Sec. 201. National response framework. 

Sec. 202. National preparedness system. 

Sec. 203. Chief medical officer. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds as follows: 

3 (1) The terrorist attacks of September 11, 

4 2001, and the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005 re5 vealed substantial shortcomings in the Nation’s abil6 ity to provide for the medical and other health-re7 lated needs of disaster victims when a community’s 

8 basic medical infrastructure is overwhelmed or sud9 denly compromised. 

10 (2) The dental workforce can do much to en11 hance the Nation’s medical surge capacity. Dentists 

12 take many of the same core health care courses as 

13 do physicians, and their training may even exceed 

14 the basic health care curricula of most paramedics 

15 and emergency medical technicians. Most dental fa16 cilities can also be used as decentralized treatment 

17 centers and drug storage and distribution sites when 

18 hospital facilities become overwhelmed. 

19 (3) Most Federal disaster response policies, 

20 plans, and programs do not reflect the full extent to 


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1 which dentists and auxiliary dental personnel can 

2 contribute to the Nation’s medical surge capacity. 

3 Dental schools, for example, have at times been de4 nied Federal public health and medical response 

5 training funds on the grounds that dentists are not 

6 identified by name in the Federal definitions of 

7 ‘‘public health worker’’ and ‘‘emergency response 

8 provider’’. 

9 (4) Dentists and allied dental personnel are 

10 often willing to support the medical and public 

11 health response to disasters and, with little addi12 tional training, could easily be incorporated into an 

13 all-hazards emergency health care paradigm. 

14 TITLE I—PUBLIC HEALTH AND 

15 MEDICAL RESPONSE 

16 SEC. 101. NATIONAL HEALTH SECURITY STRATEGY. 

17 Section 2802(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 300hh–1(b)(3)) is amended— 

19 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 

20 by inserting ‘‘dental and’’ before ‘‘mental health fa21 cilities’’; and 

22 (2) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘and 

23 dental’’ after ‘‘medical’’. 


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1 SEC. 102. ALL-HAZARDS PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL RE2 SPONSE CURRICULA AND TRAINING. 

3 Section 319F(a)(5)(B) of the Public Health Service 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6(a)(5)(B)) is amended by striking 

5 ‘‘public health or medical’’ and inserting ‘‘public health, 

6 medical, or dental’’. 

7 TITLE II—HOMELAND SECURITY 

8 SEC. 201. NATIONAL RESPONSE FRAMEWORK. 

9 Paragraph (6) of section 2 of the Homeland Security 

10 Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101) is amended by inserting ‘‘and 

11 dental’’ after ‘‘emergency medical’’. 

12 SEC. 202. NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS SYSTEM. 

13 Subparagraph (B) of section 653(b)(4) of the Post14 Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 

15 U.S.C. 753(b)(4)) is amended by striking ‘‘public health 

16 and medical’’ and inserting ‘‘public health, medical, and 

17 dental’’. 

18 SEC. 203. CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER. 

19 Paragraph (5) of section 516(c) of the Homeland Se20 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 321e(c)) is amended by strik21 ing ‘‘medical community’’ and inserting ‘‘medical and den22 tal communities’’. 

Æ 


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