Title: REACH Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
REACH Act
This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve health, prevent and manage chronic health conditions, and reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations.
Specifically, HHS, in consultation with the Office of Minority Health, must award grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, entities that demonstrate relevant experience in, and capacity for, working with such populations. Recipients must use funds for increasing diversity in the public health and health care workforce, enhancing capacity to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, and implementing health improvement efforts.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4410 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4410

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for racial and ethnic 
                    approaches to community health.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 4, 2020

Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Cardin) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for racial and ethnic 
                    approaches to community health.

    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 ``REACH Act''.

SEC. 2. RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH.

    Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1712. RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall award grants, contracts, 
or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the conduct of 
evidence-based and evidence-informed projects to improve health, 
prevent and manage chronic health conditions, and reduce health 
disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive an award under 
this section, an entity shall--
            ``(1) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 
        in such manner, and containing such information as the 
        Secretary shall require;
            ``(2) demonstrate a history of successfully working with an 
        established community-based coalition to address health 
        disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations;
            ``(3) conduct or identify a community health needs 
        assessment to inform locally tailored activities conducted 
        under subsection (a); and
            ``(4) demonstrate the capacity to effectively and 
        immediately implement evidence-based and evidence-informed 
        strategies to address health disparities among racial and 
        ethnic minority populations.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An entity shall use funds received under 
subsection (a), in coordination with State, local, and Tribal health 
departments, community-based organizations, and other entities with 
experience addressing racial and ethnic health disparities, to--
            ``(1) increase the workforce of health care and public 
        health professionals from underrepresented populations;
            ``(2) support the implementation, evaluation, and 
        dissemination of locally tailored strategies to prevent and 
        manage chronic health conditions, including by reducing tobacco 
        use, improving nutrition and physical activity, and addressing 
        social and other determinants of health; and
            ``(3) enhance capacity, as appropriate, to prevent and 
        respond to infectious disease outbreaks through outreach, 
        education, and other relevant activities.
    ``(d) Report.--Not later than September 30, 2024, and every five 
years thereafter, the Secretary 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 that 
includes information on activities funded under this section. Such 
report shall include a description of--
            ``(1) efforts to increase the workforce of health care and 
        public health professionals from underrepresented populations;
            ``(2) the prevalence of chronic health conditions among 
        populations served under this section, including a description 
        of reductions in chronic health conditions among such 
        populations; and
            ``(3) activities conducted to enhance capacity to prevent 
        and respond to infectious disease outbreaks among racial and 
        ethnic minority populations.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $70,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025.''.
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