Office of Climate Change and Health Equity; national strategic action plan

(a) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (1) Establishment (A) In general There is established within the Department of Health and Human Services the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. (B) Purpose 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. (C) Director There is established the position of Director of the Office, who shall be the head of the Office, and who shall report to the Secretary. (2) Activities 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, in collaboration with other Federal agencies, as the Director determines appropriate: (A) Contribute to assessments of how climate change is affecting the health of individuals living in the United States. (B) Understand the needs of the populations most disproportionately affected by climate-related health threats, including environmental justice communities and medically underserved communities. (C) Serve as a credible source of information on the physical, mental, and behavioral health consequences of climate change. (D) Track data on environmental conditions, disease risks, and disease occurrence related to climate change. (E) Expand capacity for modeling and forecasting health effects that may be climate-related. (F) Enhance the science base to better understand the relationship between climate change and health outcomes. (G) Communicate the health-related aspects of climate change, including risks and associated costs and ways to reduce them, to the public, decision-makers, public health professionals, and health care providers. (H) Align Federal efforts to deploy climate-conscious human services and direct services to support and protect populations disproportionately affected by climate change, including environmental justice communities and medically underserved communities. (I) Develop and distribute tools and resources to support climate resilience for the health sector, community-based organizations, and individuals. (J) Develop and implement preparedness and response plans for health threats, such as heat waves, severe weather events, and infectious diseases. (K) Lead efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas and environmental impacts of the health sector, including by developing and distributing tools and resources to support health sector efforts to track and decrease sectoral greenhouse gas emissions. (L) Provide leadership to State and local governments, community leaders, health care professionals, nongovernmental organizations, environmental justice networks, faith-based communities, the private sector, and the public, regarding health protection from climate change effects. (M) Develop partnerships with other government agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and institutions of higher education, to more effectively address the health aspects of climate change. (N) Promote workforce development by helping to ensure the training of a new generation of competent, experienced public health and health care professionals to respond to the health threats posed by climate change. (O) Carry out other activities, as the Secretary determines appropriate. (b) National strategic action plan (1) In general 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. (2) Consultation In developing or making any revision to the national strategic action plan, the Secretary shall— (A) 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, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, Tribal governments, and State and local government officials; and (B) provide meaningful opportunity for engagement, comment, and consultation with relevant public stakeholders, particularly representatives of populations disproportionately affected by climate change, including environmental justice communities, medically underserved communities, Tribal communities, health care providers, public health organizations, and scientists. (3) National strategic action plan components The national strategic action plan shall include an assessment of, and strategies to improve, the health sector capacity of the United States to address the impacts of climate change, including— (A) identifying, prioritizing, and engaging communities and populations who are disproportionately affected by, or at greatest risk for, exposures to climate hazards; (B) addressing mental and physical health disparities exacerbated by climate impacts to enhance community health resilience; (C) 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; (D) providing outreach and communication aimed at public health and health care professionals and the public to promote preparedness and response strategies; (E) tracking and assessing programs across Federal agencies to advance research related to the impacts of climate change on health; (F) identifying and assessing existing preparedness and response strategies for the health impacts of climate change; (G) prioritizing critical public health and health care infrastructure projects; (H) providing modeling and forecasting tools of climate change health impacts, including local impacts, where feasible; (I) establishing academic and regional centers of excellence; (J) recommending models for maintaining access to health care during extreme weather; (K) providing technical assistance and support for preparedness and response plans for the health threats of climate change in States, municipalities, territories, and Indian Tribes; (L) addressing the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the health of individuals living in the United States; (M) tracking health care sector contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and identifying actions to reduce those emissions; (N) 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 (O) developing, improving, integrating, and maintaining disease surveillance systems and monitoring capacity to respond to health-related impacts of climate change, including on topics addressing— (i) water-, food-, and vector-borne infectious diseases and climate change; (ii) pulmonary effects, including responses to aeroallergens, infectious agents, and toxic exposures; (iii) cardiovascular effects, including impacts of temperature extremes; (iv) air pollution health effects, including heightened sensitivity to air pollution such as wildfire smoke; (v) reproductive health effects, including access to reproductive health care; (vi) harmful algal blooms; (vii) mental and behavioral health impacts of climate change; (viii) the health of migrants, refugees, displaced persons, environmental justice communities, medically underserved communities, and other communities disproportionately affected by climate change; (ix) 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; (x) Tribal, local, and community-based health interventions for climate-related health impacts; (xi) extreme heat and weather events; (xii) decreased nutritional value of crops; and (xiii) disruptions in access to routine and acute medical care, public health programs, and other supportive services for maintaining health. (c) Periodic assessment and revision 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— (1) the status of and trends in critical environmental health indicators and related human health impacts; (2) the trends in and impacts of climate change on public health; (3) advances in the development of strategies for preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public health; and (4) the effectiveness of the implementation of the national strategic action plan in protecting against climate change health threats. (d) Implementation (1) Implementation through HHS The Secretary shall exercise the Secretary’s authority under this Act and other Federal statutes to achieve the goals and measures of the Office and the national strategic action plan. (2) Other public health programs and initiatives The Secretary and Federal officials of other relevant Federal agencies shall administer public health programs and initiatives authorized by laws other than this Act, subject to the requirements of such laws, in a manner designed to achieve the goals of the Office and the national strategic action plan. (3) Health impact assessment (A) In general 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. (B) Assessments Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each relevant Federal agency shall— (i) 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 (ii) assist State, Tribal, local, and territorial governments in conducting such assessments.