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.