[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1561 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1561

  To strengthen the preparedness of health care providers within the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs and community hospitals to respond to 
                             bioterrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 17, 2001

 Mr. Akaka (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To strengthen the preparedness of health care providers within the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs and community hospitals to respond to 
                             bioterrorism.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) To date, most Federal resources allocated to respond to 
        weapons of mass destruction attacks have focused on traditional 
        first-line responders (such as fire fighters, emergency medical 
        services, and police) through the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic 
        Preparedness Program.
            (2) Efforts at creating a critical line of defense against 
        covert bioterrorism must involve health care professionals. 
        Training to prepare emergency medical technicians, physicians, 
        and nurses has been hindered by a lack of economic incentives 
        for hospitals and clinics to arrange for formal training 
        opportunities.
            (3) The Veterans Health Administration of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs currently has 173 hospitals with existing 
        partnerships with community hospitals and local health care 
        providers.
            (4) The Department of Veterans Affairs possesses equipment 
        necessary for effective telecommunications between 
        headquarters, the Emergency Management Strategic Health Care 
        Group, and local and regional Veterans Health Administration 
        hospitals.
            (5) The Department of Veterans Affairs has the resources 
        and partnerships necessary to implement a telemedicine and 
        training program for both staff and local health care providers 
        in bioterrorism preparedness and response.
            (6) The Department of Veterans Affairs has already 
        established a training program for the staff of the National 
        Medical Disaster System.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    For the purposes of allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
work more effectively within its own hospitals and with its community 
partners and to implement training programs with local health care 
providers for bioterrorism preparedness, there is authorized to be 
appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be 
necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.
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