This bill creates a new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity within the Department of Health and Human Services to help the country prepare for and respond to how climate change affects people's health. The office will be led by a Director and will focus on understanding which communities are most vulnerable to climate-related health threats—particularly low-income communities, communities of color, and Indigenous communities—and help protect them.

The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish a comprehensive national action plan within one year that coordinates federal efforts to prepare hospitals, clinics, and public health systems for climate-related health emergencies. This plan will address specific health threats like heat waves, infectious diseases spread by insects, air pollution from wildfires, mental health impacts, and disruptions to medical care during extreme weather. The plan will also track how the health care industry itself contributes to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and recommend ways to reduce that impact.

To support this work, the bill establishes a science advisory board of 10-20 experts who will provide recommendations based on the best available science. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will also prepare reports every four years evaluating how well these efforts are working and suggesting improvements. The bill authorizes $10 million per year for the office, $2 million to develop the initial action plan, and $500,000 for the advisory board, with funding running through 2031.