COVID–19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act
Bill: H.R.4292 | Sponsor: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. (D-NY)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act
This bill establishes and provides funding for the COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Program Fund. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must use the funds to set up at least 10 centers of excellence at academic medical centers to address issues associated with COVID-19 and future pandemic preparedness and response efforts.
In addition, HHS must establish an advisory committee comprised of representatives from relevant federal agencies, each center of excellence, and national organizations that work with populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and other health disparities. The committee must facilitate collaboration, information-sharing, and dissemination of best practices relating to COVID-19 and future pandemic responses.

To provide for the establishment of COVID-19 and pandemic response 
             centers of excellence, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``COVID-19 and Pandemic Response 
Centers of Excellence Act''.

SEC. 2. COVID-19 AND PANDEMIC RESPONSE CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall award grants, contracts, or 
cooperative agreements to academic medical centers for the 
establishment or continued support of not less than 10 centers of 
excellence to address issues associated with--
            (1) COVID-19, including--
                    (A) testing and diagnostics, including availability 
                and accessibility;
                    (B) patient care, including related follow-up care 
                for COVID-19 survivors;
                    (C) best practices in the use of supplies and 
                therapeutics;
                    (D) mental health treatment of frontline health 
                care workers and other caregivers;
                    (E) health, health care disparities, and best 
                practices for promoting health equity;
                    (F) research; and
                    (G) education and training, including for health 
                professionals, scientists, and communities; and
            (2) future pandemic preparedness and response, including--
                    (A) the priorities specified in paragraph (1);
                    (B) working in a coordinated fashion with the 
                advisory committee established under subsection (c) and 
                respective State and local health authorities for the 
                purposes of disseminating information, best practices, 
                and other such public health-related measures; and
                    (C) readiness to conduct or contribute to basic, 
                clinical, translational, and implementation research 
                into novel or existing public health threats, such as 
                participating in diverse clinical trial research or 
                vaccine, diagnostic, or therapeutic development, 
                however appropriate.
    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall--
            (1) be an academic medical center; and
            (2) submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require, including a 
        description of--
                    (A) how the entity will conduct or contribute to 
                the activities described in such subsection;
                    (B) how many individuals with COVID-19 the entity 
                has cared for and the entity's continued capacity and 
                expertise to provide such care, and how the entity 
                improves health outcomes for such individuals, and 
                reduces health inequities among such individuals;
                    (C) how the entity plans to comprehensively care 
                for COVID-19 survivors;
                    (D) how the entity identifies and addresses the 
                mental health needs of the frontline health care 
                workforce to ensure the ability of such individuals to 
                continue to care for the community, in addition to 
                current and future COVID-19 patients;
                    (E) how the entity will conduct research and 
                address health and health care inequities by 
                identifying, implementing, or developing COVID-19 
                evidenced-based strategies and interventions and 
                engaging the populations heavily impacted by COVID-19 
                in their community;
                    (F) how the entity will engage with the community 
                and share information concerning COVID-19 basic, 
                clinical, translational, and implementation research, 
                including vaccine research;
                    (G) the most significant risk factors and 
                comorbidities of COVID-19 patients observed by the 
                entity and strategies employed by the entity to reduce 
                the risk of COVID-19 transmission;
                    (H) the long-term health effects of COVID-19 and 
                effective treatments utilized by the entity to treat 
                those infected with COVID-19;
                    (I) secondary factors in COVID-19 mobility and 
                mortality identified by the entity, such as antibiotic 
                resistant infections and blood clotting disorders;
                    (J) how the entity will collaborate with other 
                health care institutions, public health agencies, and 
                community-based organizations to ensure equitable care 
                to marginalized and underserved populations, including 
                rural and ethnic minority communities;
                    (K) how the entity will conduct research involving 
                the unique pathophysiology of COVID-19 in children and 
                adolescents and unique needs of pregnant women; and
                    (L) how the entity is prepared to contribute to 
                advance planning and real-time response efforts for 
                subsequent outbreaks that present a significant 
                potential to imminently become a national public health 
                emergency.
    (c) Advisory Committee.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an 
        advisory committee to facilitate collaboration, information 
        sharing, and the dissemination of best practices relating to 
        the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to preparing for, 
        monitoring, mitigating, and responding to future pandemics. The 
        advisory committee shall be composed of a designee of each of 
        the following:
                    (A) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
                and Prevention.
                    (B) The Director of the National Institutes of 
                Health.
                    (C) The Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
                    (D) The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
                Response.
                    (E) The Director of the Biomedical Advanced 
                Research and Development Authority.
                    (F) The Secretary of Defense.
                    (G) A representative from each center of excellence 
                established under this section.
                    (H) Not more than 20 representatives from national 
                organizations that work with and can represent 
                populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, 
                populations vulnerable for disproportionate impact 
                during a subsequent pandemic, and populations 
                disproportionately impacted by other health 
                disparities.
            (2) Meetings.--The advisory committee under paragraph (1) 
        shall convene not less than twice annually.
            (3) Votes.--In carrying out its duties pursuant to section 
        9 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), the 
        advisory committee shall vote on which best practices with 
        respect to COVID-19 and pandemic response to disseminate.
    (d) COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Program 
Fund.--
            (1) Establishment of fund.--There is established a fund to 
        be known as the ``COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of 
        Excellence Program Fund'' (referred to in this section as the 
        ``Fund'') to provide awards under this section.
            (2) Appropriations.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not 
        otherwise appropriated, there are authorized to be 
        appropriated, and there are appropriated, to the Fund, 
        $500,000,000 for the second calendar quarter of fiscal year 
        2022.
    (e) Amount of Award.--The amount of an award to a center of 
excellence under subsection (a) shall be not less than $10,000,000 for 
the first calendar quarter of fiscal year 2022, and $5,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027.
    (f) Condition.--Each center of excellence shall, as a condition of 
receipt of funds under subsection (a), submit to the Secretary a budget 
that describes the activities to be funded under the award, which may 
include the purchasing of equipment, costs related to construction, and 
other such activities that contribute to the center's ability to 
address the issues described in subsection (a) and to address and 
prepare for future pandemics.
    (g) Reporting Process.--An entity that receives an award under this 
section shall work with an office within the Department of Health and 
Human Services, as designated by the Secretary, to submit annual 
progress reports and other such annual reports determined necessary by 
the Secretary.
    (h) Distribution.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, ensure an equitable 
national geographic distribution of the grants, contracts, or 
cooperative agreements, including areas of the United States where the 
incidence of COVID-19 cases or cases of a disease responsible for a 
subsequent pandemic, is highest.
    (i) Advisory Committee Reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter, the advisory 
committee established under subsection (c) shall submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a 
report which shall include a synthesized analysis of all Centers of 
Excellence grantees findings, best practices determined for each item 
specified under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), policy 
recommendations, and other reports determined necessary by the 
Secretary.
    (j) Academic Medical Center Defined.--In this section, the term 
``academic medical center'' means--
            (1) an institutition with--
                    (A) integrated health care delivery;
                    (B) medical education and training; and
                    (C) basic, clinical, translational, and 
                implementation research operations; and
            (2) an institution that meets such other criteria as the 
        Secretary may establish.
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