Sec. 4061. National COVID–19 Resource Center for Older Adults
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The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this subtitle referred to as the Secretary ) shall establish within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health a National COVID–19 Resource Center for Older Adults (in this section referred to as the Center ) to identify, curate, and disseminate, promising and proven practices and tools for the care of older adults in their homes, community-based care settings, hospitals, and nursing and acute care facilities. The Center shall— be advised by a team of senior officials from— agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Administration for Community Living (including the Administration on Aging), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, and the Office of Minority Health in the Office of the Secretary; and other Federal departments, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs; and collaborate with State and local governments, Indian tribes and Tribal organizations, and nonprofit organizations.
The Center shall perform the following activities: Develop a set of best practices for older adult health and well-being during and beyond the period of the COVID–19 pandemic, including such best practices with respect to the following focus areas: Providing specialized services to overcome the risks associated with social isolation, such as additional resources for home-delivered meals and other nutrition programs to provide not only food but also face-to-face interactions. Streamlining and improving access to screening, testing, and health care services and resources, and prioritizing venues older adults can reach.
Expanding the use of telemedicine, including the provision of technology to execute televisits that safely and comprehensively address older adults’ health care needs. Supporting family caregivers, including those with additional responsibilities for homebound individuals. Reducing disparities among underserved populations. Developing cross-sector collaborative efforts. Create and disseminate tools, technical assistance, training, and funding to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to adopt best practices developed under subparagraphs
(E)and
(F)of paragraph (1). Establish mechanisms for providing training and technical assistance to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to ensure that complementary cross-sector activities are replicated at the State, local, Tribal, and territorial levels. Facilitate the development of learning networks of practitioners at the hospital, nursing facility, and community levels to disseminate the best practices developed under paragraph
(1)and ensure implementation of such best practices to reduce morbidity and mortality of older adults affected by COVID–19. Identify and disseminate approaches that strengthen public health and health care system capacity to serve older Americans with regard to health issues during and beyond the COVID–19 pandemic.