U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, alongside 10 other Democratic colleagues in the Senate, has introduced a “Health Force” bill aimed at helping to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legislation, called The Health Force, Resilience Force, Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act, would tap those who are unemployed, train them with “basic public health skills” and employ them in their own communities to bolster communities’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. It would specifically aim to recruit people from lower income, minority and marginalized communities.
“For the past 10 months, Washington has allowed the virus to manage us instead of taking action to manage the virus,” said Bennet, D-Colo., in a statement on his website. “Despite the heroic efforts of front-line health workers, chronic underinvestment in our public health infrastructure has only compounded the damage.”
The Health Force and its recruited members would administer COVID-19 tests, help with vaccine distribution, share public health information and address socioeconomic and health needs beyond the pandemic. The bill emphasizes its desire to assist marginalized and hard-to-reach communities.
In addition to the Health Force, this legislation calls for members of the already established FEMA Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) program to assist in the response to the pandemic. The members would help build “COVID-safe” infrastructure for schools and other buildings, set up vaccination centers and help secure necessary medical equipment and supplies.
If passed, the bill would require the federal government to provide $40 billion in the first two years to public health departments across the country at all levels, including on tribal lands.
Bennet and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the same bill in April to no avail.
“If we had passed our bill last year, our country would be in a much better position than we are today,” Bennet said in a statement on his website. “We can’t wait any longer. I urge my colleagues to support our proposal so we can get our country back on its feet.”
The Health Force is designed to outlast the pandemic as a new component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Emergency Preparation.
When the pandemic is over, the Health Force would provide grant funding to state and local health departments to retain those trained and employed under the act. They would continue to provide public health services to vulnerable or underserved communities and help during future public health crises.
This bill is inspired by the Works Progress Administration, which employed people who lost their jobs during the Great Depression to build up American infrastructure.
The legislation will also be introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., and Dean Phillips, D-Minn. It has been endorsed by several organizations, such as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, National Peace Corps Association, Consortium of Universities for Global Health and National Hispanic Medical Association.
Grace George is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C.