‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the President determines 
that 1 or more substances of concern are being, or 
have been, released in an area declared to be a 
major disaster area under this Act, the President 
may carry out a program for the protection, assess-
ment, monitoring, and study of the health and safety 
of individuals to ensure that— 
‘‘(A) the individuals are adequately in-
formed about and protected against potential 
health impacts of any substance of concern and 
potential mental health impacts in a timely 
manner; 
‘‘(B) the individuals are monitored and 
studied over time, including through baseline 
and follow-up clinical health examinations, 
for— 
‘‘(i) any short- and long-term health 
impacts of any substance of concern; and 
‘‘(ii) any mental health impacts; 
‘‘(C) the individuals receive health care re-
ferrals as needed and appropriate; and 
‘‘(D) information from any such moni-
toring and studies is used to prevent or protect 
against similar health impacts from future dis-
asters. 
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‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—A program under paragraph 
(1) may include such activities as— 
‘‘(A) collecting and analyzing environ-
mental exposure data; 
‘‘(B) developing and disseminating infor-
mation and educational materials; 
‘‘(C) performing baseline and follow-up 
clinical health and mental health examinations 
and taking biological samples; 
‘‘(D) establishing and maintaining an ex-
posure registry; 
‘‘(E) studying the short- and long-term 
human health impacts of any exposures through 
epidemiological and other health studies; and 
‘‘(F) providing assistance to individuals in 
determining eligibility for health coverage and 
identifying appropriate health services. 
‘‘(3) TIMING.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, activities under any program established 
under paragraph (1) (including baseline health ex-
aminations) shall be commenced in a timely manner 
that will ensure the highest level of public health 
protection and effective monitoring. 
‘‘(4) PARTICIPATION IN REGISTRIES AND STUD-
IES.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Participation in any 
registry or study that is part of a program 
under paragraph (1) shall be voluntary. 
‘‘(B) 
PROTECTION
OF
PRIVACY.—The 
President shall take appropriate measures to 
protect the privacy of any participant in a reg-
istry or study described in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(5) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The President may 
carry out a program under paragraph (1) 
through a cooperative agreement with a medical 
institution, including a local health department, 
or a consortium of medical institutions. 
‘‘(B) SELECTION CRITERIA.—To the max-
imum extent practicable, the President shall se-
lect to carry out a program under paragraph 
(1) a medical institution or a consortium of 
medical institutions that— 
‘‘(i) is located near— 
‘‘(I) the disaster area with re-
spect to which the program is carried 
out; and 
‘‘(II) any other area in which 
there reside groups of individuals that 
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worked or volunteered in response to 
the disaster; and 
‘‘(ii) has appropriate experience in the 
areas of environmental or occupational 
health, toxicology, and safety, including ex-
perience in— 
‘‘(I) developing clinical protocols 
and conducting clinical health exami-
nations, including mental health as-
sessments; 
‘‘(II) conducting long-term health 
monitoring and epidemiological stud-
ies; 
‘‘(III) conducting long-term men-
tal health studies; and 
‘‘(IV) establishing and maintain-
ing medical surveillance programs and 
environmental exposure or disease 
registries. 
‘‘(6) INVOLVEMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In establishing and 
maintaining a program under paragraph (1), 
the President shall involve interested and af-
fected parties, as appropriate, including rep-
resentatives of— 
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