CARE for Families Act
Bill: H.R.2555 | Sponsor: Rep. Adams, Alma S. (D-NC)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act or the CARE for Families Act
This bill sets out a grant program and other requirements to facilitate collaboration between the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and various social services.
Specifically, the bill establishes a grant program to promote and support linkages between WIC agencies and health care providers, early childhood care providers, and other social services providers.
Additionally, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must undertake an initiative to improve communication between state and local WIC agencies and medical providers regarding WIC participants' health information. As part of the initiative, USDA must support the development of software or systems to facilitate such communication and promote bidirectional interoperability between WIC information systems and electronic health records. USDA must also ensure that any disclosure of health information is consistent with federal privacy standards for personal health information.

To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish a grant program 
 to provide grants to local agencies and clinics to improve the health 
            of mothers and infants, 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 ``Community Access, Resources, and 
Education for Families Act'' or the ``CARE for Families Act''.

SEC. 2. FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARTNERSHIP OUTREACH.

    Section 17(h) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1786(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(15) Community health partnerships grants.--
                    ``(A) Program established.--Not later than 1 year 
                after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the 
                Secretary shall carry out a grant program to make 
                grants to local agencies and clinics to carry out the 
                activities described in subparagraph (B).
                    ``(B) Grant program activities.--A local agency or 
                clinic that receives a grant under this paragraph shall 
                use the grant funds to carry out activities to enhance 
                collaboration between--
                            ``(i) local agencies, clinics, and 
                        community health partners, including other 
                        health care providers, social services 
                        programs, and early childhood learning and care 
                        providers, for the purposes of--
                                    ``(I) establishing linkages between 
                                such entities, such as through 
                                participation in community coalitions;
                                    ``(II) facilitating referrals 
                                between such entities;
                                    ``(III) implementing evidence-based 
                                strategies to--
                                            ``(aa) improve the health 
                                        of communities;
                                            ``(bb) conduct outreach to 
                                        potential program participants; 
                                        and
                                            ``(cc) promote 
                                        breastfeeding and access to 
                                        healthy foods; and
                                    ``(IV) increasing awareness among 
                                such entities and program participants 
                                (including potential program 
                                participants) of the eligibility 
                                requirements for, and health benefits 
                                of, the program; and
                            ``(ii) local agencies, clinics, and health 
                        care entities for the purposes of--
                                    ``(I) facilitating and improving 
                                access to comprehensive prenatal, 
                                postnatal, and postpartum care for 
                                program participants;
                                    ``(II) facilitating certification 
                                of eligibility of persons for 
                                participation in the program and 
                                provision of program benefits at the 
                                hospital bedside for eligible 
                                postpartum women and infants;
                                    ``(III) improving the coordination, 
                                quality, and cost effectiveness of 
                                health care services; and
                                    ``(IV) ensuring consistent 
                                nutrition education and breastfeeding 
                                messages are provided to program 
                                participants.
                    ``(C) Application.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant under this paragraph, a local agency or clinic 
                shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
                time, in such manner, and containing such information 
                as the Secretary may require.
                    ``(D) Authorization of appropriations.--
                            ``(i) In general.--From amounts 
                        appropriated under subsection (g), $15,000,000 
                        may be made available to carry out this 
                        paragraph for each of fiscal years 2020 through 
                        2025.
                            ``(ii) Adjustment.--The amount specified in 
                        clause (i) shall be adjusted annually for 
                        inflation by the same factor used to determine 
                        the national average per participant grant for 
                        nutrition services and administration for the 
                        fiscal year under paragraph (1)(B).
                    ``(E) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Program.--The term `program' means 
                        the special supplemental nutrition program 
                        under this section.
                            ``(ii) Program participant.--The term 
                        `program participant' means a participant in 
                        the program.
                            ``(iii) Health care entities.--The term 
                        `health care entities' includes pediatricians, 
                        obstetricians-gynecologists, family physicians, 
                        advance practice nurses, nurse midwives, 
                        community health centers, health departments, 
                        hospitals, facilities funded by the Indian 
                        Health Service and rural health clinics.
            ``(16) Initiative for coordinating health information 
        exchange.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the 
                Secretary shall establish an initiative to improve 
                communication between State agencies and local agencies 
                and medical providers with respect to program 
                participant health information related to services 
                provided under the program.
                    ``(B) Requirements.--In carrying out the initiative 
                established under subparagraph (A), the Secretary--
                            ``(i) may only disclose program participant 
                        health information if the disclosure of such 
                        information is permitted under the Federal 
                        regulations (concerning the privacy of 
                        individually identifiable health information) 
                        promulgated under section 26(c) of the Health 
                        Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
                        1996; and
                            ``(ii) shall--
                                    ``(I) consult with the Director of 
                                the Office for Civil Rights of the 
                                Health and Human Services Department, 
                                the National Coordinator for Health 
                                Information Technology, the 
                                Administrator for the Health Resources 
                                and Services Administration, the 
                                Administrator of the Centers for 
                                Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the 
                                Director of the Indian Health Service;
                                    ``(II) promote bidirectional 
                                interoperability between management 
                                information systems and electronic 
                                health record systems of health care 
                                providers; and
                                    ``(III) support development of 
                                model software or systems that could be 
                                utilized by multiple State agencies for 
                                the communication described in 
                                subparagraph (A).
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--From 
                amounts appropriated under subsection (g), $50,000,000 
                may be made available to carry out this paragraph for 
                fiscal year 2022, to be available until expended.
                    ``(D) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Program.--The term `program' means 
                        the special supplemental nutrition program 
                        under this section.
                            ``(ii) Program participant.--The term 
                        `program participant' means a participant in 
                        the program.''.
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