U.S. Senate One Health Bill introduced to Congress: "Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2018"

On March 22, 2018, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bi-partisan bill, S.2615 “Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2018” which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) for their review.

S.2615 will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the U.S. Government’s response to (disease) emergencies by requiring the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) to do more than justcoordinate but actively collaborate among themselves and other relevant Departments and Agencies to develop and implement a federal One Health Framework. Human health, animal health and environmental health are inextricably linked and a One Health approach is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally and globally to address issues of mutual concern, such as: emergency preparedness for disease outbreaks.

The One Health Framework in S.2615 would:

• Advance workforce development related to prevention of and response to disease outbreaks in animals and humans.
• Improve coordination between federal agencies who study human and animal health and the environment.
• Advance scientific understanding of the connections between human, animal, and environmental health.

Review S. 2615  https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2615/text?q=%7B%22search%22:%22tina+smith%22%7D&r=18  

See a description of the Bill