Health Emergencies Are Literally Tenets of HHS Act of 2021 or the HEALTH Act of 2021
This bill expands the authorities and responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with respect to federal responses to public health and other emergencies and the Strategic National Stockpile.
Specifically, the bill expands the responsibility of HHS to lead federal public health and medical responses to expressly include national disasters or emergencies declared under presidential authorities.
Additionally, the bill provides authority for HHS to deploy the Strategic National Stockpile in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), rather than as required by DHS.