,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #chgg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #c1 #bjbj,mr4 ,booker 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 and ,ms4 ,baldwin7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish or expand programs to improve health equity regarding ,,covid-#ai and reduce or eliminate inequities in the prevalence and health outcomes of ,,covid-#ai4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,community ,solutions for ,,covid-#ai ,act4 #b4 ,addressing ,,covid-#ai health inequities and improving health equity 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary71 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 shall award grants to eligible entities to establish or expand programs to improve health equity regarding ,,covid-#ai and reduce or eliminate inequities1 including racial and ethnic inequities1 in the incidence1 prevalence1 and health outcomes of ,,covid-#ai4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a71 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be a nongovernmental entity or consortium of entities that works to improve health and health equity in populations or communities disproportionately affected by adverse health outcomes1 including-- 7,a7 racial and ethnic minority communities2 7,b7 ,indian ,tribes1 ,tribal organizations1 and urban ,indian organizations2 7,c7 people with disabilities2 7,d7 ,english language learners2 7,e7 older adults2 7,f7 low-income communities2 7,g7 justice-involved communities2 7,h7 immigrant communities2 and 7,i7 communities on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity2 7#b7 have demonstrated experience in successfully working in and partnering with such communities1 and have an established record of accomplishment in improving health outcomes or preventing1 reducing or eliminating health inequities1 including racial and ethnic inequities1 in those communities2 7#c7 communicate with ,state1 local1 and ,tribal health departments to coordinate grant activities1 as appropriate2 and 7#d7 submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7c7 ,use of funds ,an entity shall use amounts received under grant under this section to establish1 improve upon1 or expand programs to improve health equity regarding ,,covid-#ai and reduce or eliminate inequities1 including racial and ethnic inequities1 in the incidence1 prevalence1 and health outcomes of ,,covid-#ai4 ,such uses may include-- 7#a7 acquiring and distributing medical supplies1 such as personal protective equipment1 to communities that are at an increased risk of ,,covid-#ai2 7#b7 helping people enroll in a health insurance plan that meets minimum essential coverage2 7#c7 increasing the availability of ,,covid-#ai testing and any future ,,covid-#ai treatments or vaccines in communities that are at an increased risk of ,,covid-#ai2 7#d7 aiding communities and individuals in following guidelines and best practices in regards to ,,covid-#ai1 including physical distancing guidelines2 7#e7 helping communities and ,,covid-#ai survivors recover and cope with the long-term health impacts of ,,covid-#ai2 7#f7 addressing social determinants of health1 such as transportation1 nutrition1 housing1 discrimination1 health care access1 including mental health care and substance use disorder prevention1 treatment1 and recovery1 health literacy1 employment status1 and working conditions1 education1 income1 and stress1 that impact ,,covid-#ai incidence1 prevalence1 and health outcomes1 and facilitating or providing access to needed services2 7#g7 the provision of anti-racism and implicit and explicit bias training for health care providers and other relevant professionals2 7#h7 creating and disseminating culturally informed1 linguistically appropriate1 accessible1 and medically accurate outreach and education regarding ,,covid-#ai2 7#i7 acquiring1 retaining1 and training a diverse workforce2 and 7#aj7 improving the accessibility to health care1 including accessibility to health care providers1 mental health care1 and ,,covid-#ai testing for people with disabilities4 7d7 ,administration 7#a7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that are a community-based organization or have an established history of successfully working in and partnering with the community or with populations which the entity intends to provide services under the grant4 ,the ,secretary shall also utilize available demographic data to give priority to eligible entities working with populations or communities disproportionately affected by ,,covid-#ai4 7#b7 ,geographical diversity ,the ,secretary shall seek to ensure geographical diversity among grant recipients4 7#c7 ,reduction of burdens ,in administering the grant program under this section1 the ,secretary shall make every effort to minimize unnecessary administrative burdens on eligible entities receiving such grants4 7#d7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance to eligible entities on best practices for applying grants under this section4 7e7 ,duration ,a grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of #c years4 7f7 ,reporting 7#a7 ,by grantee ,not later than #ahj days after the end of a grant period under this section1 the grantee shall submit to the ,secretary a report on the activities conducted under the grant1 including-- 7,a7 a description of the impact of grant activities1 including on-- 7i7 outreach and education related to ,,covid-#ai2 and 7ii7 improving public health activities related to ,,covid-#ai1 including physical distancing2 7,b7 the number of individuals reached by the activities under the grant and1 to the extent known1 the disaggregated demographic data of such individuals1 such as by race1 ethnicity1 sex 7including sexual orientation and gender identity71 income1 disability status1 or primary language2 and 7,c7 any other information the ,secretary determines is necessary4 7#b7 ,by ,secretary ,not later than #a year after the end of the grant program under this section1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the grant program1 including a summary of the information gathered under paragraph 7#a74 7g7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,grants awarded under this ,act shall be used to supplement and not supplant any other ,federal funds made available to carry out the activities described in this ,act4 7h7 ,funding ,out of funds in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 there are appropriated to carry out this section1 #ejj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbb4