Title: Community Solutions for COVID–19 Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act
This bill provides funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to nongovernmental entities for programs to reduce or eliminate disparities related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Eligible entities must have experience working to address issues related to health equity among those disproportionally impacted by adverse health outcomes. Grant funds may be used to improve access to testing, treatment, and other services with respect to COVID-19 and for other purposes.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3877 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3877

  To establish or expand programs to improve health equity regarding 
   COVID-19 and reduce or eliminate inequities in the prevalence and 
                      health outcomes of COVID-19.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 3, 2020

  Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
 Warren, Ms. Smith, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Harris, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. 
Sanders, Ms. Klobuchar, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish or expand programs to improve health equity regarding 
   COVID-19 and reduce or eliminate inequities in the prevalence and 
                      health outcomes of COVID-19.

    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 Solutions for COVID-19 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ADDRESSING COVID-19 HEALTH INEQUITIES AND IMPROVING HEALTH 
              EQUITY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in 
this section as the ``Secretary''), acting through the Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to 
eligible entities to establish or expand programs to improve health 
equity regarding COVID-19 and reduce or eliminate inequities, including 
racial and ethnic inequities, in the incidence, prevalence, and health 
outcomes of COVID-19.
    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity shall--
            (1) be a nongovernmental entity or consortium of entities 
        that works to improve health and health equity in populations 
        or communities disproportionately affected by adverse health 
        outcomes, including--
                    (A) racial and ethnic minority communities;
                    (B) Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban 
                Indian organizations;
                    (C) people with disabilities;
                    (D) English language learners;
                    (E) older adults;
                    (F) low-income communities;
                    (G) justice-involved communities;
                    (H) immigrant communities; and
                    (I) communities on the basis of their sexual 
                orientation or gender identity;
            (2) have demonstrated experience in successfully working in 
        and partnering with such communities, and have an established 
        record of accomplishment in improving health outcomes or 
        preventing, reducing or eliminating health inequities, 
        including racial and ethnic inequities, in those communities;
            (3) communicate with State, local, and Tribal health 
        departments to coordinate grant activities, as appropriate; and
            (4) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
        such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
        may require.
    (c) Use of Funds.--An entity shall use amounts received under grant 
under this section to establish, improve upon, or expand programs to 
improve health equity regarding COVID-19 and reduce or eliminate 
inequities, including racial and ethnic inequities, in the incidence, 
prevalence, and health outcomes of COVID-19. Such uses may include--
            (1) acquiring and distributing medical supplies, such as 
        personal protective equipment, to communities that are at an 
        increased risk of COVID-19;
            (2) helping people enroll in a health insurance plan that 
        meets minimum essential coverage;
            (3) increasing the availability of COVID-19 testing and any 
        future COVID-19 treatments or vaccines in communities that are 
        at an increased risk of COVID-19;
            (4) aiding communities and individuals in following 
        guidelines and best practices in regards to COVID-19, including 
        physical distancing guidelines;
            (5) helping communities and COVID-19 survivors recover and 
        cope with the long-term health impacts of COVID-19;
            (6) addressing social determinants of health, such as 
        transportation, nutrition, housing, discrimination, health care 
        access, including mental health care and substance use disorder 
        prevention, treatment, and recovery, health literacy, 
        employment status, and working conditions, education, income, 
        and stress, that impact COVID-19 incidence, prevalence, and 
        health outcomes, and facilitating or providing access to needed 
        services;
            (7) the provision of anti-racism and implicit and explicit 
        bias training for health care providers and other relevant 
        professionals;
            (8) creating and disseminating culturally informed, 
        linguistically appropriate, accessible, and medically accurate 
        outreach and education regarding COVID-19;
            (9) acquiring, retaining, and training a diverse workforce; 
        and
            (10) improving the accessibility to health care, including 
        accessibility to health care providers, mental health care, and 
        COVID-19 testing for people with disabilities.
    (d) Administration.--
            (1) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that are a 
        community-based organization or have an established history of 
        successfully working in and partnering with the community or 
        with populations which the entity intends to provide services 
        under the grant. The Secretary shall also utilize available 
        demographic data to give priority to eligible entities working 
        with populations or communities disproportionately affected by 
        COVID-19.
            (2) Geographical diversity.--The Secretary shall seek to 
        ensure geographical diversity among grant recipients.
            (3) Reduction of burdens.--In administering the grant 
        program under this section, the Secretary shall make every 
        effort to minimize unnecessary administrative burdens on 
        eligible entities receiving such grants.
            (4) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
        technical assistance to eligible entities on best practices for 
        applying grants under this section.
    (e) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be for a 
period of 3 years.
    (f) Reporting.--
            (1) By grantee.--Not later than 180 days after the end of a 
        grant period under this section, the grantee shall submit to 
        the Secretary a report on the activities conducted under the 
        grant, including--
                    (A) a description of the impact of grant 
                activities, including on--
                            (i) outreach and education related to 
                        COVID-19; and
                            (ii) improving public health activities 
                        related to COVID-19, including physical 
                        distancing;
                    (B) the number of individuals reached by the 
                activities under the grant and, to the extent known, 
                the disaggregated demographic data of such individuals, 
                such as by race, ethnicity, sex (including sexual 
                orientation and gender identity), income, disability 
                status, or primary language; and
                    (C) any other information the Secretary determines 
                is necessary.
            (2) By secretary.--Not later than 1 year after the end of 
        the grant program under this section, the Secretary shall 
        submit to Congress a report on the grant program, including a 
        summary of the information gathered under paragraph (1).
    (g) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Grants awarded under this Act shall 
be used to supplement and not supplant any other Federal funds made 
available to carry out the activities described in this Act.
    (h) Funding.--Out of funds in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, there are appropriated to carry out this section, 
$500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2022.
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