HouseH.R. 10274119th Congress
Partnerships for Better Health Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10274 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10274
To expand access to integrated, community-driven health and nutrition
services for underserved populations with high chronic disease
prevalence, through coordinated local partnerships, measurable
outcomes, and sustainable delivery models, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 3, 2026
Mr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to
the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand access to integrated, community-driven health and nutrition
services for underserved populations with high chronic disease
prevalence, through coordinated local partnerships, measurable
outcomes, and sustainable delivery models, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Partnerships for Better Health
Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMUNITY HEALTH PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish a
program under which the Secretary concerned will award grants to lead
eligible entities to carry out activities that support integrated
chronic disease prevention, management, and social support.
(b) Application.--A lead eligible entity seeking a grant under this
section shall submit an application at such time and in such manner, as
the Secretary concerned may require. Such application shall include--
(1) a community needs assessment showing high chronic
disease prevalence;
(2) a care integration plan linking health and nutrition;
(3) a measurable outcomes framework for each year of the
grant; and
(4) such other information as the Secretary concerned may
require.
(c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
concerned shall give priority to applicants serving communities (as
determined by the Secretary concerned) that--
(1) have a high prevalence of chronic disease;
(2) have high food insecurity;
(3) are located in a health professional shortage area with
a designation in effect under section 332 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e);
(4) are medically underserved communities (as defined in
section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
295p));
(5) are located in a rural area (as defined in section
1886(d)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww));
or
(6) are located in an area of persistent poverty (as
defined in section 6702 of title 49, United States Code).
(d) Use of Funds.--A lead eligible entity that receives a grant
under this section (and any member of a local coalition on whose behalf
the application under this section is submitted) may use grant funds
to--
(1) provide for integrated care delivery through--
(A) the provision of care coordination across
clinical, nutrition, and social services;
(B) community health workers or patient navigators;
(C) providing for referral systems between
programs; or
(D) transportation services;
(2) provide for nutrition and chronic disease education and
self-management support through--
(A) peer support and group education sessions; or
(B) evidence-based, culturally and linguistically
appropriate education materials delivered by a
certified diabetes educator; community health worker,
or trained peer educators using culturally appropriate
printed and digital material;
(3) establish or expand a Food Is Medicine program;
(4) establish or upgrade data infrastructure and conduct
evaluations of outcomes, including through--
(A) upgrades to data collection systems;
(B) outcomes tracking;
(C) coalition collaboration data; or
(D) program evaluation and reporting; and
(5) carry out outreach and enrollment efforts, such as
identifying eligible participants in services provided through
such a grant and increasing community engagement and trust
building with the community to be served by the lead eligible
entity.
(e) Conditions.--As a condition on the receipt of a grant under
this section, the lead eligible entity shall agree--
(1) to exclusively use evidence-based or evidence informed
models in providing services described in subsection (d);
(2) to serve populations whose family income does not
exceed 200 percent of the poverty line (as defined in section
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.
9902(2))) for a family of the size involved, or otherwise
medically underserved; and
(3) to ensure that each member of the local coalition
involved--
(A) maintains partnership agreements among the
coalition for the duration of the period of the grant;
and
(B) participates in any Federal evaluations related
to grants made under this section.
(f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds made available under this
section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal
funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this
section.
(g) Term.--The term of a grant awarded under this section shall not
exceed 3 years. A grant may be renewed for an additional 2-year period,
based on performance.
(h) Reporting.--
(1) In general.--Beginning not later than 6 months after
the date on which a lead eligible entity receives a grant under
this section, and every year thereafter, a lead eligible entity
that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the
Secretary concerned a report on--
(A) the outcomes achieved by the program under this
section; and
(B) the progress made with respect to the design
and implementation of the program.
(2) Contents.--The report under subsection (a) shall
include--
(A) the demographics of participants in programs
funded through the grant;
(B) the services delivered by such programs;
(C) the lessons learned from such programs and
barriers to access to services provided by such
programs; and
(D) the health, social and access, and utilization
outcomes of such programs specified in paragraph (3).
(3) Outcomes described.--The outcomes described in this
paragraph are the following:
(A) With respect to health outcomes, whether
participants in programs funded through the grant had
experienced a reduction in--
(i) HbA1c levels;
(ii) blood pressure; or
(iii) weight or body mass index (BMI).
(B) With respect to social and access outcomes,
whether such participants experienced--
(i) a change in food security status;
(ii) continuity of care;
(iii) increased engagement and retention in
programs funded through the grant; or
(iv) a change in health behavior and
dietary habits.
(C) With respect to utilization outcomes, whether
within the area served by the entity receiving the
grant--
(i) had fewer emergency department visits
related to chronic diseases; or
(ii) had fewer hospitalizations related to
chronic diseases.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Food is medicine program.--The term ``Food is Medicine
program'' means a structured intervention in which a healthcare
provider prescribes or refers patients to receive, via home
delivery, medically appropriate food, nutrition education, and
related support as part of a treatment or prevention plan for
diet-related disease.
(2) Lead eligible entity.--The term ``lead eligible
entity'' means the nonprofit or public entity submitting an
application for a grant under this section on behalf of a local
coalition, that--
(A) has demonstrated--
(i) experience serving underserved or high-
risk populations; and
(ii) capacity to manage Federal grant
funds;
(B) has in effect on the date on which the
application is submitted, one or more formal agreements
with a coalition partner; and
(C) is one of the following:
(i) A Federally qualified health center (as
defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa))).
(ii) A community health center receiving
assistance under section 330 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b).
(iii) A nonprofit hospital or health
system.
(iv) A nonprofit organization with
demonstrated healthcare expertise.
(v) A food bank.
(vi) A nonprofit organization with
demonstrated nutrition expertise.
(3) Local coalition.--The term ``local coalition''
includes--
(A) A clinical partner, such as--
(i) a Federally qualified health center or
rural health clinic (as such terms are defined
in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)));
(ii) a community health center receiving
assistance under section 330 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b); or
(iii) a nonprofit hospital.
(B) A food and nutrition partner, such as a food
bank, food pantry network, or nonprofit food provider
with capacity to source and deliver medically tailored
or disease appropriate foods.
(C) A public health or government partner, such
as--
(i) a local or State public health
department; or
(ii) Tribal health authority, where
applicable.
(D) A community-based organization, including--
(i) a faith-based organization;
(ii) a community action agency;
(iii) a social service nonprofit; and
(iv) an educational institution.
(4) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services in
the case of grants awarded to an entity specified in
clauses (i) through (iv) of paragraph (2)(C); and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture in the case of
grants awarded to an entity specified in clauses (v)
and (vi) of paragraph (2)(C).
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
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