Sec. 1202. Grant program to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from climate change risks
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Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a grant program to protect vulnerable individuals from risks associated with climate change. In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may award, on a competitive basis, grants to 10 covered entities. To be eligible for a grant under the Program, a covered entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, which shall include, at a minimum, a description of the following:
Plans for the use of grant funds awarded under the Program and how patients and stakeholder organizations were involved in the development of such plans. How such grant funds will be targeted to geographic areas that have disproportionately high levels of risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals. How such grant funds will be used to address racial and ethnic disparities in— adverse maternal and infant health outcomes; and exposure to risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals.
Strategies to prevent an initiative assisted with such grant funds from causing— adverse environmental impacts; displacement of residents and businesses; rent and housing price increases; or disproportionate adverse impacts on racial and ethnic minority groups and other underserved populations. Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall select the recipients of grants under the Program. In selecting covered entities for grants under the Program, the Secretary shall consult with— representatives of stakeholder organizations; the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and from the Department of Health and Human Services— the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health; the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration; the Director of the National Institutes of Health; and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In selecting grantees under the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to covered entities that serve a county or locality— designated, or located in an area designated, as a nonattainment area pursuant to section 107 of the Clean Air Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7407 ) for any air pollutant for which air quality criteria have been issued under section 108(a) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7408(a) ); with a level of vulnerability of moderate-to-high or higher, according to the Social Vulnerability Index of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a similar rating of social vulnerability according to related Federal mapping tools; with temperatures that pose a risk to human health, as determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Chair of the United States Global Change Research Program, based on the best available science; with elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes; with a rating of very high or relatively high risk according to the National Risk Index for Natural Hazards of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; or with other climate-sensitive hazards with associations to adverse maternal or infant health outcomes, as determined by the Secretary.
A recipient of grant funds under the Program may not use such grant funds to serve a county or locality that is served by any other recipient of a grant under the Program. A covered entity awarded grant funds under the Program may only use such grant funds for the following: Initiatives to identify risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals and to provide services and support to such individuals that address such risks, which may include— training for health care providers, perinatal health workers, and other employees in hospitals, birth centers, midwifery practices, and other health care practices that provide prenatal or labor and delivery services to vulnerable individuals on the identification of, and patient counseling relating to, risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals; hiring, training, or providing resources to perinatal health workers who can help identify risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals, provide patient counseling about such risks, and carry out the distribution of relevant services and support; enhancing the monitoring of risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals, including by— collecting data on such risks in specific census tracts, neighborhoods, or other geographic areas; and sharing such data with local health care providers, perinatal health workers, and other employees in hospitals, birth centers, midwifery practices, and other health care practices that provide prenatal or labor and delivery services to local vulnerable individuals; and providing vulnerable individuals— air conditioning units, residential weatherization support, filtration systems, household appliances, or related items; direct financial assistance; and services and support, including housing assistance, evacuation assistance, transportation assistance, access to cooling shelters, and mental health counseling, to prepare for or recover from extreme weather events, which may include floods, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and related events.
Initiatives to mitigate levels of and exposure to risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals, which shall be based on the best available science and which may include initiatives to— develop, maintain, or expand urban or community forestry initiatives and tree canopy coverage initiatives; improve infrastructure, such as buildings and paved surfaces; develop or improve community outreach networks to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate information and notifications about risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals; and provide enhanced services to racial and ethnic minority groups and other underserved populations.
A grant under this section shall be disbursed over 4 fiscal years. The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to a covered entity awarded a grant under the Program to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of activities funded with such grant. For each fiscal year during which a covered entity is disbursed grant funds under the Program, such covered entity shall submit to the Secretary a report that summarizes the activities carried out by such covered entity with such grant funds during such fiscal year, which shall include a description of the following:
The involvement of stakeholder organizations in the implementation of initiatives assisted with such grant funds. Relevant health and environmental data, disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by race, ethnicity, primary language, socioeconomic status, geography, insurance type, pregnancy status, and other relevant demographic information. Qualitative feedback received from vulnerable individuals with respect to initiatives assisted with such grant funds. Criteria used in selecting the geographic areas assisted with such grant funds.
Efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities in adverse maternal and infant health outcomes and in exposure to risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals. Any negative and unintended impacts of initiatives assisted with such grant funds, including— adverse environmental impacts; displacement of residents and businesses; rent and housing price increases; and disproportionate adverse impacts on racial and ethnic minority groups and other underserved populations.
How the covered entity will address and prevent any impacts described in subparagraph (F). Not later than 30 days after the date on which a report is submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish such report on a public website of the Department of Health and Human Services. Not later than the date that is 5 years after the date on which the Program is established, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and publish on a public website of the Department of Health and Human Services a report on the results of the Program, including the following:
Summaries of the annual reports submitted under subsection (h). Evaluations of the initiatives assisted with grant funds under the Program. An assessment of the effectiveness of the Program in— identifying risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals; providing services and support to such individuals; mitigating levels of and exposure to such risks; and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in adverse maternal and infant health outcomes and in exposure to such risks.
A description of how the Program could be expanded, including— monitoring efforts or data collection that would be required to identify areas with high levels of risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals; how such areas could be identified using the strategy developed under section 1205; and recommendations for additional funding. In this section: The term covered entity means a consortium of organizations serving a county that— shall include a community-based organization; and may include— another stakeholder organization; the government of such county; the governments of one or more municipalities within such county; a State or local public health department or emergency management agency; a local health care practice, which may include a licensed and accredited hospital, birth center, midwifery practice, or other health care practice that provides prenatal or labor and delivery services to vulnerable individuals; an Indian tribe or Tribal organization (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )); an Urban Indian organization (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act ( 25 U.S.C. 1603 )); and an institution of higher education.
The term Program means the grant program under this section. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
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Sec. 1202
Grant program to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from climate change risks
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