The CARE Act requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a department-wide after-action program to review and improve the federal government's response to public health emergencies. This program will analyze what worked and what didn't during emergency responses, identify solutions to problems, and coordinate findings across HHS agencies and with partners including state health departments, other federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The bill also requires HHS to develop a comprehensive risk communication strategy to ensure that disease and health risk information shared by federal agencies—particularly the CDC—is clear, accurate, and reaches vulnerable populations during emergencies. The Secretary must establish the after-action program within two years and the communication strategy within one year of the law's enactment, with the HHS Inspector General responsible for evaluating the program's effectiveness and reporting to Congress. The legislation authorizes $3.5 million for the after-action program and its first four reports, plus additional unspecified funding for oversight activities.
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