Sec. 102. Office of Climate Change and Health Equity; national strategic action plan
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There is established within the Department of Health and Human Services the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. The purpose of the Office shall be to facilitate a robust, Federal response to the impact of climate change on the health of the American people and the health care system. There is established the position of Director of the Office, who— shall be the head of the Office; and may report to the Assistant Secretary for Health. The duties of the Office shall be to address priority health actions relating to the health impacts of climate change, including by doing each of the following:
Contribute to assessments of how climate change is affecting the health of individuals living in the United States. Understand the needs of the populations most disproportionately affected by climate-related health threats. Serve as a credible source of information on the physical, mental, and behavioral health consequences of climate change. Align Federal efforts to deploy climate-conscious human services and direct services to support and protect populations composed of individuals disproportionately affected by climate change.
Create and distribute tools and resources to support climate resilience for the health sector, community-based organizations, and individuals. Create and distribute tools and resources to support health sector efforts to track and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Lead efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of the health sector. Carry out other activities determined appropriate by the Secretary. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, on the basis of the best available science, and in consultation pursuant to paragraph (2), shall publish a national strategic action plan to coordinate effective deployment of Federal efforts to ensure that public health and health care systems are prepared for and can respond to the impacts of climate change on health in the United States.
In developing or making any revision to the national strategic action plan, the Secretary shall— consult with the Director, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the Indian Health Service, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, Tribal governments, and State and local government officials; and provide meaningful opportunity for engagement, comment, and consultation with relevant public stakeholders, particularly representatives of populations composed of individuals disproportionately affected by climate change, environmental justice communities, Tribal communities, health care providers, public health organizations, and scientists.
The national strategic action plan shall include an assessment of, and strategies to improve, the health sector capacity of the United States to address climate change, including— identifying, prioritizing, and engaging communities and populations who are disproportionately affected by exposures to climate hazards; addressing mental and physical health disparities exacerbated by climate impacts to enhance community health resilience; identifying the link between environmental injustice and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and prioritizing those who have been harmed by environmental and climate injustice; providing outreach and communication aimed at public health and health care professionals and the public to promote preparedness and response strategies; tracking and assessing programs across Federal agencies to advance research related to the impacts of climate change on health; identifying and assessing existing preparedness and response strategies for the health impacts of climate change; prioritizing critical public health and health care infrastructure projects; providing modeling and forecasting tools of climate change health impacts, including local impacts, where feasible; establishing academic and regional centers of excellence; recommending models for maintaining access to health care during extreme weather; providing technical assistance and support for preparedness and response plans for the health threats of climate change in States, municipalities, territories, Indian Tribes, and developing countries; addressing the impacts of fossil fuel pollution and greenhouse gas emissions on the health of individuals living in the United States; tracking health care sector contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and identifying actions to reduce those emissions; recommending new regulations or policies to address identified gaps in the health system capacity to effectively reduce emissions, reduce environmental impact, and address climate change; and developing, improving, integrating, and maintaining disease surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to respond to health-related impacts of climate change, including on topics addressing— water-, food-, and vector-borne infectious diseases and climate change; pulmonary effects, including responses to aeroallergens, infectious agents, and toxic exposures; cardiovascular effects, including impacts of temperature extremes; air pollution health effects, including heightened sensitivity to air pollution such as wildfire smoke; reproductive health effects, including access to reproductive health care; harmful algal blooms; mental and behavioral health impacts of climate change; the health of migrants, refugees, displaced persons, and communities composed of individuals disproportionately affected by climate change; the implications for communities and populations vulnerable to the health effects of climate change, as well as strategies for responding to climate change within such communities;
Tribal, local, and community-based health interventions for climate-related health impacts; extreme heat and weather events; decreased nutritional value of crops; and disruptions in access to routine and acute medical care, public health programs, and other supportive services for maintaining health. Not later than 1 year after the date of first publication of the national strategic action plan, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall periodically assess, and revise as necessary, the national strategic action plan, to reflect new information collected, including information on— the status of and trends in critical environmental health indicators and related human health impacts; the trends in and impacts of climate change on public health; advances in the development of strategies for preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public health; and the effectiveness of the implementation of the national strategic action plan in protecting against climate change health threats.
The Secretary shall exercise the Secretary’s authority under this title and other Federal statutes to achieve the goals and measures of the Office and the national strategic action plan. The Secretary and Federal officials of other relevant Federal agencies shall administer public health programs and initiatives authorized by laws other than this title, subject to the requirements of such laws, in a manner designed to achieve the goals of the Office and the national strategic action plan.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall identify proposed and current laws, policies, and programs that are of particular interest for their impact in contributing to or alleviating health burdens and the health impacts of climate change. Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each relevant Federal agency shall— assess the impacts that the proposed and current laws, policies, and programs identified under subparagraph
(A)under their jurisdiction have or may have on protection against the health threats of climate change; and assist State, Tribal, local, and territorial governments in conducting such assessments.