Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters at the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Hall on Tuesday, June 14, in Pittsburgh, Penn. | Getty Clinton unveils emergency public health fund proposal

Emphasizing the need for the United States to be better prepared for a wide array of pandemic diseases and other public health crises, Hillary Clinton on Wednesday announced that she would create a Public Health Rapid Response Fund to help local and federal agencies better coordinate resources.

“The United States faces new threats to public health, from pandemic diseases like those caused by the Ebola and the Zika viruses, to the risk of biological weapons and bioterrorism, to long-term challenges like more extreme weather and expanding ranges for Lyme disease and water-borne illnesses as a result of climate change," Clinton said in a statement released through her campaign. "And in a global economy, diseases like SARS, MERS, and avian influenza cannot be contained in their countries of origin."


Clinton has repeatedly called upon Congress to respond to the Zika outbreak, which has now spread locally in Florida.

"Doctors and public health experts have been warning for months that the Zika virus was likely to reach the continental United States, but Congress has failed to pass the President’s emergency funding request," Clinton said. "As a result, the Zika virus has gained a foothold in Miami, and 196 people have already been infected in the city—infections that may have been preventable."

Clinton also remarked that the U.S. should "do more" in the way of preparing for the threats of bioweapons, as well as supporting new research, boosting public health departments in the way of both staffing and training and ensuring that states and local governments are prepared to face "complex, multi-faceted public health threats, like the impacts of climate change, and build more resilient communities."