Sec. 779. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease action plan
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The Congress finds as follows: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, incurable diseases that make it difficult to exhale all the air from one’s lungs, and that can cause persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and sputum. COPD exacerbations—episodes of acute difficulty breathing and moderate to severe fatigue—are dangerous, and their treatment often requires hospitalization. While smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD, other risk factors include air pollution, occupational exposures, heredity, a history of childhood respiratory infections, and socioeconomic status.
Over 13.5 million United States adults are estimated to have COPD. COPD is the third leading cause of death in America, claiming over 134,000 lives in 2010. Since 2000, deaths for women with COPD have exceed deaths in men. Although African-Americans have a lower prevalence of COPD in the United States, researchers have shown that African-Americans may be underdiagnosed. Furthermore, research has shown that African-Americans develop COPD with less cumulative smoke exposure and at a younger age.
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall conduct, support, and expand public health strategies, prevention, diagnosis, surveillance, and public and professional awareness activities regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop a national action plan to address chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the United States with participation from patients, caregivers, health professionals, patient advocacy organizations, researchers, providers, public health professionals, and other stakeholders.
At a minimum, such plan shall include recommendations for— public health interventions for the purpose of implementation of the national plan; biomedical, health services, and public health research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and inclusion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the health data collections of all Federal agencies. In developing such plan, the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shall consider the recommendations and findings of the Institute of Medicine in the report entitled A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases (July 22, 2011).
The Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shall carry out the following: Conduct public education and awareness activities with patient and professional organizations to stimulate earlier diagnosis and improve patient outcomes from treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. To the extent known and relevant, such public education and awareness activities shall reflect differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by cause (tobacco, environmental, occupational, biological, and genetic) and include a focus on outreach to undiagnosed and, as appropriate, minority populations.
Supplement and expand upon the activities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute by making grants to nonprofit organizations, State and local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes for the purpose of reducing the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially in disproportionately impacted communities, through public health interventions and related activities. Coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop pilot programs to demonstrate best practices for the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Develop improved techniques and identify best practices, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, for assisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients to successfully stop smoking, including identification of subpopulations with different needs. Initiatives under this paragraph may include research to determine whether successful smoking cessation strategies are different for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients compared to such strategies for patients with other chronic diseases.
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— support research into the environmental and occupational causes and biological mechanisms that contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and develop and disseminate public health interventions that will lessen the impact of environmental and occupational causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acting jointly, shall assess the depth and quality of information on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that is collected in surveys and population studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including whether there are additional opportunities for information to be collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, and the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System surveys.
The Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shall include the results of such assessment in the national action plan under subsection (b). There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021.