Federal

Health Center Community Transformation Hub Act

Source: Congress.gov · 643 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill allows the federal government to give extra money to health centers that already receive grants. The extra money would help health centers create community transformation hubs. These hubs are networks of local organizations that work together to address social and economic factors that affect people's health.

Who It Affects

Health centers that receive federal grants. Community-based organizations that partner with health centers. The patients served by these health centers.

Key Provisions

• The Secretary of Health and Human Services can award extra funding to health centers to set up a community transformation hub that addresses social determinants of health (the social, economic and environmental factors that affect health) for the patients they serve. (Sec. 2(r)(1)) • A community transformation hub is a network of community-based organizations that can address major social determinants of health including access to transportation, food security, economic security, education access and quality, neighborhood safety, systemic racism, and the health of the built environment (the human-made structures and spaces in neighborhoods). (Sec. 2(r)(2)) • Before awarding extra funding, the Secretary must consider whether the health center has assessed the social determinants of health facing its patients and whether the proposed hub would adequately address those determinants. (Sec. 2(r)(3)) • Health centers can partner with community-based organizations to carry out activities funded by these awards through a contract, subgrant or memorandum of understanding (a written agreement between parties). (Sec. 2(r)(4)) • The Secretary may provide technical assistance (expert guidance and support) to award recipients for planning, developing and operating community transformation hubs. (Sec. 2(r)(5)) • Within one year after the law is enacted, the Secretary must issue guidance on how to keep community transformation hubs running after federal funding ends. (Sec. 2(r)(6))

What Changes

A new section is added to the Public Health Service Act that authorizes the government to provide supplemental (additional) awards to health centers to establish community transformation hubs.

Important Definitions

Community transformation hub: A network of community-based organizations that can address main social determinants of health, including access to transportation, food security, economic security, education access and quality, neighborhood safety, systemic racism, and the health of the built environment.

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1072 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize supplemental awards to health centers to establish community transformation hubs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 17, 2023 Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. BOW- MAN, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize supple- mental awards to health centers to establish community transformation hubs. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Center Commu- 4 nity Transformation Hub Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:33 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1072.IH H1072 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1072 IH SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL AWARDS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY 1 TRANSFORMATION HUBS. 2 Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 3 U.S.C. 254b) is amended— 4 (1) by redesignating subsection (r) as sub- 5 section (s); and 6 (2) by inserting after subsection (q) the fol- 7 lowing: 8 ‘‘(r) SUPPLEMENTAL AWARDS TO SUPPORT COMMU- 9 NITY TRANSFORMATION.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award 11 to a health center receiving a grant under another 12 provision of this section, as a supplement to such 13 grant, funds to implement a community trans- 14 formation hub to address the social determinants of 15 health faced by patients served by the health center. 16 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION HUB DE- 17 FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘community 18 transformation hub’ means a network of community- 19 based organizations capable of addressing primary 20 social determinants of health, including— 21 ‘‘(A) access to transportation; 22 ‘‘(B) food security; 23 ‘‘(C) economic security; 24 ‘‘(D) education access and quality; 25 ‘‘(E) neighborhood safety; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:33 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1072.IH H1072 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1072 IH ‘‘(F) systemic racism; and 1 ‘‘(G) health of the built environment. 2 ‘‘(3) CONSIDERATION.—In making supple- 3 mental awards under this subsection, the Secretary 4 shall consider— 5 ‘‘(A) whether the health center involved 6 has conducted an assessment of the social de- 7 terminants of health facing the health center’s 8 patient population; and 9 ‘‘(B) whether the proposed community 10 transformation hub would sufficiently address 11 these determinants. 12 ‘‘(4) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary may allow 13 health centers receiving a supplemental award under 14 this subsection to carry out the activities supported 15 through the award in partnership with community- 16 based organizations through a contract, a subgrant, 17 or a memorandum of understanding. 18 ‘‘(5) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 19 may provide technical assistance to award recipients 20 under this subsection with respect to planning, de- 21 velopment, and operation of community trans- 22 formation hubs supported under this subsection. 23 ‘‘(6) COORDINATION.—Not later than 1 year 24 after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:33 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1072.IH H1072 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1072 IH Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the 1 Health Resources and Services Administration and 2 the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & 3 Medicaid Services, shall issue guidance on sustaining 4 community transformation hubs funded under this 5 section after such funding terminates.’’. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:33 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1072.IH H1072 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

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