Health Policy Advocacy – Global Health Security Act of 2021 (H.R.391)

Introduction Health advocacy is a rudimentary exercise for all nurses, especially those that haveattained postgraduate education. Whether by joining nursing associations like ANA (AmericanNurses Association) or enrolling in hospitals, nurses must engage in health policy advocacy tochampion industrywide changes, including the welfare of their patients, colleagues, faculty,communities, and the general nursing practice. Advocacy can be […]

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Introduction

Health advocacy is a rudimentary exercise for all nurses, especially those that have
attained postgraduate education. Whether by joining nursing associations like ANA (American
Nurses Association) or enrolling in hospitals, nurses must engage in health policy advocacy to
champion industrywide changes, including the welfare of their patients, colleagues, faculty,
communities, and the general nursing practice. Advocacy can be as simple as championing
national health policies to improve the quality and safety of care for Americans or as complex as
supporting global health legislation to improve the welfare and health of global citizens,
including in financially-impoverished third-world countries. For the longest time, the US has
been a global leader in socioeconomic factors, education, research, technology, and politics.
America is the home of leading health programs like USAID, research institutes like the CDC,
and not-for-profit global health watchdogs like the United Nations (The National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). It is also internationally the leading financier of
health-related humanitarian activities, pumping at least $11 billion in 2019 alone (Kaiser Family
Foundation, 2019).
In this paper, I will describe the Global Health Security Act of 2021, recommend
appropriate action to the Senate (because the bill awaits its approval), identify a relevant
legislator to contact (including his/her stance on the policy), and write a letter to the identified
lawmaker detailing why the bill is an integral addition not just to the global community but also
to Americans.

Description of the Policy, Recommendation, and Rationale

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The Global Health Security Act (H.R.391) is a bill introduced to the House by Connolly
Gerald E. (Rep for District 11 Virginia) on 21 st January 2021. The bill passed the House on 28 th
June 2021, after undergoing a review by the Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee. It is
currently in the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations (Congress.gov, 2021).
If passed, the bill directs the US federal government to build a strategy to bolster
international health security, including by compelling the US President to put up the GHSAIRC
(Global Health Security Agency Interagency Review Council) to enforce the Global Health
Security Agenda, an initiate proposed by over 30 countries to tackle infectious disease threats at
the global stage. GHSAIRC’s duties include (1) proposing policy-related objectives, goals, and
implementation to strengthen preparedness and response to pandemics, (2) assisting federal
agencies like the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the HHS (US
Department of Health and Human Services) with implementation, and (3) evaluating the
challenges and progress in attaining America’s obligations, including helping other nations meet
agenda goals. The Act also directs all involved national agencies to prioritize the agenda’s
implementation and make efforts to ensure the target is met (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2022).
The bill also requires the president to organize and coordinate a plan for responding to
international health security emergencies, such as COVID-19, and issue a report on the same,
including its implementation and predicted benefits. Most importantly, the bill directs the
Department of State to negotiate with appropriate UN agencies, potential donors, and several
other multilateral stakeholders to create a kitty for Global Health Security and Pandemic
Preparedness (Congress.gov, 2021).
I recommend that the Senate pass the bill because of the following reasons. The US is a
global leader in health efforts, including building local capacity and addressing emergencies,

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particularly in the third world. By establishing a global health council and a kitty, we can close
gaps in pandemic preparedness and health security locally and worldwide. Secondly, we can
build effective partnerships that bolster pandemic preparedness, infectious disease control, and
global health security (Congress.gov, 2021). Lack of global emergency “capacities,” especially
pandemic preparedness and response not just in third-world but developed countries also, has
been blamed for the catastrophic spread of highly infectious diseases like COVID-19 – the
socioeconomic and health effects have been far-reaching even to the US (Villa et al., 2020).
Identification of the Appropriate Legislator and Description of Their Stance on the Policy
The appropriate lawmaker to contact is Sen. Bob Menendez, a senior senator and
seasoned politician from New Jersey (2006-present). Besides being an attorney, Sen. Menendez
has chaired the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations twice: between 2013 and 2015 and
from 2021 to now. As the chair, Menendez has the power to influence Committee members and
the public during the bill’s hearing and colleagues in the Senate to approve the bill during voting.

Letter to the Legislator

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
Sep 24, 2022
The Honorable Senator Bob Menendez
208 White Horse Pike [Suite 18]
Barrington, New Jersey 08007
Phone: (856) 757-5353
Subject: H.R.391 – Global Health Security Act of 2021
Dear Senate Member Bob
As an American voter and victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am writing to show my support
for H.R.391. As the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, your previous record of
championing global health security and preparedness is outstanding.

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As a country, we hold the key to preventing pandemics and protecting communities globally,
especially in the third world. The fact that we lead in research (because we have the technology),
funding, and health promotion gives us the automatic mandate/responsibility to protect the world
and build capacity outside our borders. We can do it in a big way – by passing the Global Health
Security Act of 2021.
Please mobilize members to vote in favor of H.R.391. Thanks a bunch for your unmatched work
to make the world a better and safer place.
Very truly yours,
[Your Name]

Conclusion

In a nutshell, advocacy is an essential function of the nursing profession; it enables nurses
to advocate for better health outcomes for their patients and communities, provide safer working
conditions for their colleagues, and protect the profession. However, advocacy extends beyond
federal health policies to include worldwide health policies that protect global citizens from
pandemics and other emergencies like famine and hurricanes. The Global Health Security Act of
2021 is one of these critical laws that can unlock America’s potential to protect the world.

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References

Congress.gov. (2021). H.R.391 – Global Health Security Act of 2021.
https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-u-s-government-and-global-
health
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2019). The US government and global health. Global Health Policy.
https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-u-s-government-and-global-
health
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2022). US global health legislation tracker.
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fact-sheet/u-s-global-health-legislation-tracker/
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Global health and the
future of the United States. The National Academies Press.
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/24737/chapter/1
Villa, S., Lombardi, A., Mangioni, D., Bozzi, G., Bandera, A., Gori, A., & Raviglione, M. C.
(2020). The COVID-19 pandemic preparedness…or lack thereof: From China to Italy.
Global Health & Medicine, 2(2), 73-77. doi: 10.35772/ghm.2020.01016

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