42 USC 300 - General authority of Secretary

View all text of Subchapter XV [§ 300u - § 300u-16]

§ 300u. General authority of Secretary

(a) Development, support, and implementation of programs, activities, etc.The Secretary shall—

(1) formulate national goals, and a strategy to achieve such goals, with respect to health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;

(2) analyze the necessary and available resources for implementing the goals and strategy formulated pursuant to paragraph (1), and recommend appropriate educational and quality assurance policies for the needed manpower resources identified by such analysis;

(3) undertake and support necessary activities and programs to—

(A) incorporate appropriate health education components into our society, especially into all aspects of education and health care,

(B) increase the application and use of health knowledge, skills, and practices by the general population in its patterns of daily living, and

(C) establish systematic processes for the exploration, development, demonstration, and evaluation of innovative health promotion concepts;

(4) undertake and support research and demonstrations respecting health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;

(5) undertake and support appropriate training in, and undertake and support appropriate training in the operation of programs concerned with, health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;

(6) undertake and support, through improved planning and implementation of tested models and evaluation of results, effective and efficient programs respecting health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;

(7)

(A) develop model programs through which employers in the public sector, and employers that are small businesses (as defined in section 632 of title 15), can provide for their employees a program to promote healthy behaviors and to discourage participation in unhealthy behaviors;

(B) provide technical assistance to public and private employers in implementing such programs (including private employers that are not small businesses and that will implement programs other than the programs developed by the Secretary pursuant to subparagraph (A)); and

(8) foster the exchange of information respecting, and foster cooperation in the conduct of, research, demonstration, and training programs respecting health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care;

(9) provide technical assistance in the programs referred to in paragraph (8);

(10) use such other authorities for programs respecting health information and health promotion, preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use of health care as are available and coordinate such use with programs conducted under this subchapter; and

(11) establish in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health an Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, which shall—

(A) coordinate all activities within the Department which relate to disease prevention, health promotion, preventive health services, and health information and education with respect to the appropriate use of health care;

(B) coordinate such activities with similar activities in the private sector;

(C) establish a national information clearinghouse to facilitate the exchange of information concerning matters relating to health information and health promotion, preventive health services (which may include information concerning models and standards for insurance coverage of such services), and education in the appropriate use of health care, to facilitate access to such information, and to assist in the analysis of issues and problems relating to such matters; and

(D) support projects, conduct research, and disseminate information relating to preventive medicine, health promotion, and physical fitness and sports medicine.

The Secretary shall appoint a Director for the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion established pursuant to paragraph (11) of this subsection. The Secretary shall administer this subchapter in cooperation with health care providers, educators, voluntary organizations, businesses, and State and local health agencies in order to encourage the dissemination of health information and health promotion activities.

(b) Authorization of appropriations

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title XVII, § 1701, as added Pub. L. 94–317, title I, § 102, June 23, 1976, 90 Stat. 695; amended Pub. L. 96–32, § 7(n), July 10, 1979, 93 Stat. 85; Pub. L. 96–76, title II, § 209, Sept. 29, 1979, 93 Stat. 584; Pub. L. 98–551, § 2(a), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2815; Pub. L. 100–607, title III, § 312(a)(1), (b)(1), (c), Nov. 4, 1988, 102 Stat. 3113, 3114; Pub. L. 102–168, title I, § 101, Nov. 26, 1991, 105 Stat. 1102; Pub. L. 102–531, title III, § 311(b)(1), Oct. 27, 1992, 106 Stat. 3503; Pub. L. 105–392, title IV, § 414, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3590.)