U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
With the omicron variant spreading, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for the creation of COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act.
The bipartisan act would deliver funding to establish COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence programs at academic medical centers across the country.
Gillibrand said the legislation would improve the ability to swiftly respond to new variants like Omicron. It would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to designate eligible academic medical centers as “Centers of Excellence” to address COVID–19, including testing and diagnostics, patient care, mental health of health care workers and caregivers, health and health disparities, research, education, and training. She said it would also improve the ability to prepare for and prevent future pandemics.
The legislation would authorize $500 million for the program and would provide $10 million to at least ten academic medical centers for real-time response efforts to COVID-19 and for future pandemic preparedness.
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