Florida Senate - 2009 SB 670
By Senator Sobel
31-00807-09 2009670__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to women's health; requiring the
3 Department of Health to create a pilot program in
4 Pasco, Duval, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties to
5 provide health screening for certain women;
6 prescribing services; requiring periodic assessment of
7 participants in the program; requiring the department
8 to submit a report to the Legislature; providing for
9 expiration of the program; providing an appropriation;
10 providing an effective date.
11
12 WHEREAS, heart disease, stroke, and other forms of
13 cardiovascular disease are the number one cause of death for
14 women each year, and
15 WHEREAS, cardiovascular disease kills more women annually
16 than the next five leading causes of death combined, which
17 include all forms of cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases,
18 Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and accidents, and
19 WHEREAS, despite the statistics, many patients and health
20 care providers alike tend to think of heart disease as a disease
21 that primarily afflicts men, and
22 WHEREAS, in February 2004, the American Heart Association
23 began the vigorous “Go Red for Women” public awareness campaign
24 and a survey conducted in 2007 by the American Heart Association
25 found that 43 percent of women are still not aware that heart
26 disease is the leading cause of death among women, and
27 WHEREAS, the WISEWOMAN program, administered by the Centers
28 for Disease Control and Prevention, provides low–income,
29 underinsured, or uninsured women between 40 and 64 years of age
30 with chronic disease risk factor screening, lifestyle
31 intervention, and referral services in an effort to prevent
32 cardiovascular disease and promote healthy lifestyles, and
33 WHEREAS, WISEWOMAN programs provide standard preventive
34 services, including blood pressure and cholesterol testing and
35 lifestyle programs targeting poor nutrition, physical
36 inactivity, and smoking, and
37 WHEREAS, Florida is currently not participating in the
38 WISEWOMAN program due to a lack of federal funding, and
39 WHEREAS, the best chance for women in this state to reduce
40 their mortality rates due to cardiovascular disease is through
41 education and prevention, NOW, THEREFORE,
42
43 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
44
45 Section 1. Cardiovascular screening and risk-reduction
46 pilot program.—
47 (1) The Department of Health shall develop a cardiovascular
48 disease screening and lifestyle intervention pilot program in
49 Pasco, Duval, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties for low-income,
50 underinsured, and uninsured women between 40 and 64 years of
51 age, inclusive, at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
52 (2) The department shall develop the program based on the
53 federal WISEWOMAN program administered by the Centers for
54 Disease Control and Prevention. The pilot program shall employ
55 specified measures to gauge the impact and outcome of the
56 program. These measures shall include a list of the educational
57 materials being distributed, the number of followup visits per
58 woman, an evaluation of the use of progress markers to reduce
59 risk factors, and a research and evaluation component.
60 (3) The department shall prepare an annual report and
61 submit it to the Legislature by January 31 of each year. The
62 annual report shall compare the cardiovascular health of women
63 in the pilot program to available data on the cardiovascular
64 health of women nationally. The report shall include a fiscal
65 analysis and a recommendation outlining the benefits and costs
66 of expanding the pilot program throughout the state after the
67 program has been in existence for 3 years. The pilot program
68 shall expire July 1, 2012.
69 Section 2. The sum of $500,000 is appropriated from the
70 funds collected under s. 210.02, Florida Statutes, to the
71 Department of Health to implement the pilot program created
72 under section 1 of this act.
73 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.