“To provide for green and resilient health care infrastructure, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expands the purposes of Hill-Burton grants under section 1610(a) of the Public Health Service Act to include projects that increase medical facility capacity and resilience to climate disasters and public health crises. It requires the Secretary to prioritize projects incorporating resilience measures such as onsite distributed renewable energy generation, high-efficiency heat pumps and air filtration, green infrastructure for flood and wildfire protection, green roofs and cool spaces, and long-term decarbonization. It authorizes $100 billion for these grants in FY2026, available until expended. It also adds application requirements for adequate staffing and collective bargaining agreements or non-interference policies.
This section establishes the Planning and Evaluation Grant Program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services awards grants to states, tribal governments, political subdivisions, and nonprofit entities to develop sustainability and resiliency plans for medical facilities that enhance protection of patient health and community access against climate change and public health crises. It requires applications to include patient demographics, community needs assessments, and labor assurances under the Davis-Bacon Act and National Labor Relations Act, and directs the Secretary to prioritize facilities serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries or uninsured patients in areas with low air quality or disproportionate climate risks.