Assistance to improve public health outcomes and build public health capacity

(a) In general The Secretary of State, is authorized to assist the Pacific Islands to improve public health outcomes and build public health capacity. (b) Activities supported Activities authorized to be carried out under subsection (a) may include— (1) programming, including grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance, as appropriate, to assist in building local capacity to ensure that Pacific Islanders have access to the essential health services they need to thrive and to address— (A) maternal and child health; (B) family planning and reproductive health; (C) gender-based violence; (D) food security and nutrition; (E) noncommunicable diseases; (F) communicable diseases, including neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections, and zoonotic and emerging infectious disease threats; (G) equitable access to quality, essential, and affordable health services and quality-assured, safe, effective medical products and their appropriate use; and (H) water, sanitation, and hygiene; (2) technical assistance to strengthen local health system capacity and resilience in the areas of good leadership and governance, sustainable financing, interoperable information systems and high quality data for decision making, efficient medical products and supply chain systems, and management of human resources for health, with special attention to increasing health worker performance, retention, productivity, number, skill mix, and competency, including through exploring opportunities such as private sector engagement and digital health integration and access; (3) coordination with existing local and regional health sector goals, efforts, institutions, and frameworks; and (4) investment in and improvement of critical infrastructure, including hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies in the Pacific Islands. (c) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of this section.