House Bill 1125e1
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to improving racial and ethnic
3 health outcomes; creating s. 381.7351, F.S.;
4 creating the "Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health
5 Disparities: Closing the Gap Act"; creating s.
6 381.7352, F.S.; providing legislative findings
7 and intent; creating s. 381.7353, F.S.;
8 providing for the creation of the Reducing
9 Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing
10 the Gap grant program, to be administered by
11 the Department of Health; providing department
12 duties and responsibilities; authorizing
13 appointment of an advisory committee; creating
14 s. 381.7354, F.S.; providing eligibility for
15 grant awards; creating s. 381.7355, F.S.;
16 providing project requirements, an application
17 process, and review criteria; creating s.
18 381.7356, F.S.; providing for Closing the Gap
19 grant awards; providing for local matching
20 funds; providing factors for determination of
21 the amount of grant awards; providing for award
22 of grants to begin by a specified date, subject
23 to specific appropriation; providing for annual
24 renewal of grants; providing an effective date.
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26 WHEREAS, the death rate for cancer among African
27 American men is approximately 50 percent higher than for white
28 men, and
29 WHEREAS, African Americans are nearly twice as likely
30 to die of stroke as whites, and
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 WHEREAS, African American women are 50 percent more
2 likely, and Hispanic women are 30 percent more likely, than
3 non-Hispanic white women to be diagnosed with late-stage
4 breast cancer, and
5 WHEREAS, the death rate for coronary heart disease is 6
6 percent higher for African Americans than for whites, and
7 WHEREAS, during the first year of life, the rate of
8 death for African American babies is twice that of white
9 babies, and African Americans are twice as likely as whites to
10 have low birthweight babies, and
11 WHEREAS, African Americans are twice as likely to have
12 diabetes as whites, and Hispanic whites are 25 percent more
13 likely than non-Hispanic whites to have diabetes, and
14 WHEREAS, African Americans are 77 percent more likely,
15 and Hispanics are 26 percent more likely, than non-Hispanic
16 whites to suffer from obesity, and
17 WHEREAS, Native American youth are 34 percent more
18 likely to be current smokers than non-Hispanic white youth,
19 and
20 WHEREAS, African American and Hispanic adults are 60
21 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be
22 physically inactive, and
23 WHEREAS, African Americans are nearly fourteen times as
24 likely to die of AIDS as whites, and
25 WHEREAS, African Americans ages 35 and older are 7 to
26 15 percent more likely to develop glaucoma compared to all
27 other population groups, and 50 percent of Asians over the age
28 of 50 have glaucoma, and
29 WHEREAS, immunization against vaccine-preventable
30 diseases saves millions of dollars in health care costs and
31 reduces the number of absences from school and work, thereby
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 creating environments in which children and adults can
2 succeed, and
3 WHEREAS, to promote good health practices, a community
4 must develop systems that support healthy behaviors and
5 address the real causes of death and illness, and
6 WHEREAS, health promotion and disease prevention are
7 less costly than treatment of disease, and
8 WHEREAS, the Legislature supports the principle of the
9 Front Porch Florida initiative and finds that residents can
10 work with government to identify resources both inside and
11 outside the community, and create neighborhood networks
12 empowered to address racial and ethnic disparities in health
13 specific to their communities, and
14 WHEREAS, the Legislature intends to close the health
15 status gap between racial and ethnic populations by making
16 available grants to fund local projects addressing the real
17 causes of death and illness, increasing public awareness of
18 the impact of unhealthy lifestyles, increasing community-based
19 health promotion activities, and increasing community-based
20 disease prevention activities, NOW, THEREFORE,
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22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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24 Section 1. Section 381.7351, Florida Statutes, is
25 created to read:
26 381.7351 Short title.--Sections 381.7351-381.7356 may
27 be cited as the "Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health
28 Disparities: Closing the Gap Act."
29 Section 2. Section 381.7352, Florida Statutes, is
30 created to read:
31 381.7352 Legislative findings and intent.--
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 (1) The Legislature finds that despite state
2 investments in health care programs, certain racial and ethnic
3 populations in Florida continue to have significantly poorer
4 health outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic whites. The
5 Legislature finds that local solutions to health care problems
6 can have a dramatic and positive effect on the health status
7 of these populations. Local governments and communities are
8 best equipped to identify the health education, health
9 promotion, and disease prevention needs of the racial and
10 ethnic populations in their communities, mobilize the
11 community to address health outcome disparities, enlist and
12 organize local public and private resources, and faith based
13 organizations to address these disparities, and evaluate the
14 effectiveness of interventions.
15 (2) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to
16 provide funds within Florida counties and Front Porch Florida
17 Communities, in the form of Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health
18 Disparities: Closing the Gap grants, to stimulate the
19 development of community-based and neighborhood-based projects
20 which will improve the health outcomes of racial and ethnic
21 populations. Further, it is the intent of the Legislature
22 that these programs foster the development of coordinated,
23 collaborative, and broad-based participation by public and
24 private entities, and faith based organizations. Finally, it
25 is the intent of the Legislature that the grant program
26 function as a partnership between state and local governments,
27 faith based organizations, and private-sector health care
28 providers, including managed care, voluntary health care
29 resources, social service providers, and nontraditional
30 partners.
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 (3) A faith-based organization receiving funding
2 under the Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities:
3 Closing the Gap Act must be a nonprofit organization holding a
4 current exemption from federal taxation under s. 501(c)(3) of
5 the Internal Revenue Code. Funding under this section shall
6 not be used for religious or sectarian purposes.
7 Section 3. Section 381.7353, Florida Statutes, is
8 created to read:
9 381.7353 Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health
10 Disparities: Closing the Gap grant program; administration;
11 department duties.--
12 (1) The Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities:
13 Closing the Gap grant program shall be administered by the
14 Department of Health.
15 (2) The department shall:
16 (a) Publicize the availability of funds and establish
17 an application process for submitting a grant proposal.
18 (b) Provide technical assistance and training,
19 including a statewide meeting promoting best practice
20 programs, as requested, to grant recipients.
21 (c) Develop uniform data reporting requirements for
22 the purpose of evaluating the performance of the grant
23 recipients and demonstrating improved health outcomes.
24 (d) Develop a monitoring process to evaluate progress
25 toward meeting grant objectives.
26 (e) Coordinate with existing community-based programs,
27 such as chronic disease community intervention programs,
28 cancer prevention and control programs, diabetes control
29 programs, the Healthy Start program, the Florida KidCare
30 Program, the HIV/AIDS program, immunization programs, and
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 other related programs at the state and local levels, to avoid
2 duplication of effort and promote consistency.
3 (3) Pursuant to s. 20.43(6), the secretary may appoint
4 an ad hoc advisory committee to: examine areas where public
5 awareness, public education, research, and coordination
6 regarding racial and ethnic health outcome disparities are
7 lacking; consider access and transportation issues which
8 contribute to health status disparities; and make
9 recommendations for closing gaps in health outcomes and
10 increasing the public's awareness and understanding of health
11 disparities that exist between racial and ethnic populations.
12 Section 4. Section 381.7354, Florida Statutes, is
13 created to read:
14 381.7354 Eligibility.--
15 (1) Any person, entity, or organization within a
16 county may apply for a Closing the Gap grant and may serve as
17 the lead agency to administer and coordinate project
18 activities within the county and develop community
19 partnerships necessary to implement the grant.
20 (2) Persons, entities, or organizations within
21 adjoining counties with populations of less than 100,000,
22 based on the annual estimates produced by the Population
23 Program of the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and
24 Business Research, may jointly submit a multicounty Closing
25 the Gap grant proposal. However, the proposal must clearly
26 identify a single lead agency with respect to program
27 accountability and administration.
28 (3) In addition to the grants awarded under
29 subsections (1) and (2), up to 20 percent of the funding for
30 the Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the
31 Gap grant program shall be dedicated to projects that address
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 improving racial and ethnic health status within specific
2 Front Porch Florida Communities, as designated pursuant to s.
3 14.2015(9)(b).
4 (4) Nothing in ss. 381.7351-381.7356 shall prevent a
5 person, entity, or organization within a county or group of
6 counties from separately contracting for the provision of
7 racial and ethnic health promotion, health awareness, and
8 disease prevention services.
9 Section 5. Section 381.7355, Florida Statutes, is
10 created to read:
11 381.7355 Project requirements; review criteria.--
12 (1) Closing the Gap grant proposals shall be submitted
13 to the Department of Health for review.
14 (2) A proposal must include each of the following
15 elements:
16 (a) The purpose and objectives of the proposal,
17 including identification of the particular racial or ethnic
18 disparity the project will address. The proposal must address
19 one or more of the following priority areas:
20 1. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
21 maternal and infant mortality rates.
22 2. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
23 morbidity and mortality rates relating to cancer.
24 3. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
25 morbidity and mortality rates relating to HIV/AIDS.
26 4. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
27 morbidity and mortality rates relating to cardiovascular
28 disease.
29 5. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in
30 morbidity and mortality rates relating to diabetes.
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 6. Increasing adult and child immunization rates in
2 certain racial and ethnic populations.
3 (b) Identification and relevance of the target
4 population.
5 (c) Methods for obtaining baseline health status data
6 and assessment of community health needs.
7 (d) Mechanisms for mobilizing community resources and
8 gaining local commitment.
9 (e) Development and implementation of health promotion
10 and disease prevention interventions.
11 (f) Mechanisms and strategies for evaluating the
12 project's objectives, procedures, and outcomes.
13 (g) A proposed work plan, including a timeline for
14 implementing the project.
15 (h) Likelihood that project activities will occur and
16 continue in the absence of funding.
17 (3) Priority shall be given to proposals that:
18 (a) Represent areas with the greatest documented
19 racial and ethnic health status disparities.
20 (b) Exceed the minimum local contribution requirements
21 specified in s. 381.7356.
22 (c) Demonstrate broad-based local support and
23 commitment from entities representing racial and ethnic
24 populations, including non-Hispanic whites. Indicators of
25 support and commitment may include agreements to participate
26 in the program, letters of endorsement, letters of commitment,
27 interagency agreements, or other forms of support.
28 (d) Demonstrate a high degree of participation by the
29 health care community in clinical preventive service
30 activities and community-based health promotion and disease
31 prevention interventions.
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 (e) Have been submitted from counties with a high
2 proportion of residents living in poverty and with poor health
3 status indicators.
4 (f) Demonstrate a coordinated community approach to
5 addressing racial and ethnic health issues within existing
6 publicly financed health care programs.
7 (g) Incorporate intervention mechanisms which have a
8 high probability of improving the targeted population's health
9 status.
10 (h) Demonstrate a commitment to quality management in
11 all aspects of project administration and implementation.
12 Section 6. Section 381.7356, Florida Statutes, is
13 created to read:
14 381.7356 Local matching funds; grant awards.--
15 (1) One or more Closing the Gap grants may be awarded
16 in a county, or in a group of adjoining counties from which a
17 multicounty application is submitted. Front Porch Florida
18 Communities grants may also be awarded in a county or group of
19 adjoining counties that is also receiving a grant award.
20 (2) Closing the Gap grants shall be awarded on a
21 matching basis. One dollar in local matching funds must be
22 provided for each $3 grant payment made by the state, except
23 that:
24 (a) In counties with populations greater than 50,000,
25 up to 50 percent of the local match may be in-kind in the form
26 of free services or human resources. Fifty percent of the
27 local match must be in the form of cash.
28 (b) In counties with populations of 50,000 or less,
29 the required local matching funds may be provided entirely
30 through in-kind contributions.
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HB 1125, First Engrossed
1 (c) Grant awards to Front Porch Florida Communities
2 shall not be required to have a matching requirement.
3 (3) The amount of the grant award shall be based on
4 the county or neighborhood's population, or on the combined
5 population in a group of adjoining counties from which a
6 multicounty application is submitted, and on other factors, as
7 determined by the department.
8 (4) Dissemination of grant awards shall begin no later
9 than January 1, 2001.
10 (5) A Closing the Gap grant shall be funded for 1 year
11 and may be renewed annually upon application to and approval
12 by the department, subject to the achievement of quality
13 standards, objectives, and outcomes and to the availability of
14 funds.
15 (6) Implementation of the Reducing Racial and Ethnic
16 Health Disparities: Closing the Gap grant program shall be
17 subject to a specific appropriation provided in the General
18 Appropriations Act.
19 Section 7. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
20 law.
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