Presidential Documents
Executive Order 13997 of January 21, 2021
Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID–19
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration to improve the capacity of the Nation’s healthcare systems to address coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19), to accelerate the development of novel therapies to treat COVID–19, and to improve all Americans’ access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Sec. 2. Accelerating the Development of Novel Therapies. To enhance the Nation’s ability to quickly develop the most promising COVID–19 interventions, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall:
(a) develop a plan for supporting a range of studies, including largescale randomized trials, for identifying optimal clinical management strategies, and for supporting the most promising treatments for COVID–19 and future high-consequence public health threats, that can be easily manufactured, distributed, and administered, both domestically and internationally;
(b) develop a plan, in consultation with non-governmental partners, as appropriate, to support research:
- in rural hospitals and other rural locations; and
- that studies the emerging evidence concerning the long-term impact of COVID–19 on patient health; and
(c) consider steps to ensure that clinical trials include populations that have been historically underrepresented in such trials.
Sec. 3. Improving the Capacity of the Nation’s Healthcare Systems to Address COVID–19. To bolster the capacity of the Nation’s healthcare systems to support healthcare workers and patients:
(a) The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies (agencies), in coordination with the Coordinator of the COVID–19 Response and Counselor to the President (COVID–19 Response Coordinator), shall promptly, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, provide targeted surge assistance to critical care and long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, intermediate care facilities for individuals with disabilities, and residential treatment centers, in their efforts to combat the spread of COVID–19.
(b) The COVID–19 Response Coordinator, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall review the needs of Federal facilities providing care to COVID–19 patients and develop recommendations for further actions such facilities can take to support active military personnel, veterans, and Tribal nations during this crisis.
(c) The Secretary of HHS shall promptly:
- issue recommendations on how States and healthcare providers can increase the capacity of their healthcare workforces to address the COVID–19 pandemic; and
