Senate Bill sb1618

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1618

    By Senator Klein





    28-890-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school health services;

  3         creating s. 381.0058, F.S., relating to

  4         public-private partnerships for the provision

  5         of school nurse services; providing legislative

  6         intent and purpose; providing departmental

  7         duties; providing a proposal submission and

  8         review process; providing for the scope of

  9         services to be provided; providing for review

10         and selection criteria; providing legislative

11         intent relating to funding of the act;

12         providing an effective date.

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14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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16         Section 1.  Section 381.0058, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         381.0058  Matching funds for school nurse services

19  public-private partnerships.--

20         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature that matching

21  funds, in addition to those provided under s. 381.0056 for the

22  School Health Services Act and s. 381.0057 for school health

23  services funding, be provided in those communities where

24  interest in school health services is evidenced by the

25  participation of public or private entities in the funding or

26  delivery of school nurse services. The purpose of this funding

27  is to encourage the development of those programs that offer

28  the greatest potential for promoting the health of students,

29  increasing the availability of and access to nurses in the

30  school setting, and fostering greater community participation

31  in the delivery of school nurse services. Matching funds shall

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1618
    28-890-01




  1  be available specifically for implementation of programs as

  2  described in ss. 381.0056, 381.0057, and 402.3026, and that

  3  are designed to meet the particular needs of the community.

  4  Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that

  5  tobacco-settlement revenue be used to pay for health and human

  6  services for children.

  7         (2)  The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee,

  8  in cooperation with the Commissioner of Education, or his or

  9  her designee, shall publicize the availability of matching

10  funds for public and private entities committed to enhancing

11  the availability of school nurse service, as reflected in

12  formal agreements that are part of the local school health

13  services plan.

14         (3)  The Secretary of Health, or his or her designees,

15  in cooperation with the Commissioner of Education, or his or

16  her designees, in equal representation, shall form a committee

17  to determine the eligibility of sites to receive matching

18  funds.

19         (4)  Any community that seeks to receive state matching

20  funds under this section must submit a proposal to the

21  committee established in subsection (3). The proposal must

22  state the goals of the program, provide specific plans for

23  enhancing local resources available for school nurse services,

24  and describe all of the health services to be made available

25  to students from matching funds provided under this section. A

26  county health department or school district receiving matching

27  funds may not supplant more than 50 percent of the current

28  local contributions to school health services funding, as

29  documented in the local school health services plan.

30         (5)  In addition to the merits of a proposal, the award

31  of matching funds must be based on those proposals from sites

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1618
    28-890-01




  1  that include county health departments and school districts

  2  that most closely meet the following criteria:

  3         (a)  Have evidence of a comprehensive inservice staff

  4  development plan.

  5         (b)  Have evidence of a cooperative working

  6  relationship between the county health department and the

  7  school district and have community as well as parental

  8  support.

  9         (c)  Have a high percentage of subsidized school

10  lunches.

11         (d)  Have a high incidence of medically underserved

12  high-risk children, low-birthweight babies, infant mortality,

13  or teenage pregnancy.

14         (e)  Have a high incidence of children with chronic

15  health conditions or high-risk behavioral problems. 

16         (f)  Have documented in the local school health

17  services plan a commitment from community entities to fund or

18  provide other direct resources for the enhanced availability

19  of school health services.

20         (g)  Have a plan to ensure billing for Medicaid funding

21  for services rendered under the certified school match program

22  or the county health department certified match program as

23  specified in s. 409.9122.

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25  While these criteria are part of the proposal review process,

26  these criteria are not to be construed as the sole factors to

27  be considered in the proposal review process.  The ability and

28  interest of a site in addressing locally identified needs and

29  priorities must also be considered.  In addition, receipt of

30  matching funds is not intended to diminish a site's

31  eligibility for base funding for school health services.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1618
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  1         Section 2.  Legislative intent; funding.--It is the

  2  intent of the Legislature that sufficient resources be made

  3  available to fund a nurse in every public school in the state,

  4  pursuant to this act. The Legislature recognizes that

  5  extensive resources will be necessary to achieve this intent,

  6  and that a portion of these resources can be found from a

  7  variety of existing resources. The Legislature recognizes that

  8  existing funding for basic and comprehensive school health

  9  services and full service schools, as created under sections

10  381.0056 and 381.0057, Florida Statutes, can be used as

11  partial funding. The Legislature further recognizes that

12  funding earned by local school districts and county health

13  departments from the Agency for Health Care Administration

14  from the delivery of services to Medicaid-eligible students

15  can also be used as partial funding. Finally, the Legislature

16  recognizes that another source of funding is local funding

17  currently being used for school health services, which can now

18  be eligible for matching funds under school nurse services

19  public-private partnerships as created by this act. It is the

20  intent of the Legislature that the remainder of resources

21  necessary for placing a nurse in every school will need to be

22  derived from the state's tobacco settlement revenue.

23         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1618
    28-890-01




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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Provides legislative intent with respect to providing
      funding for school nurse services. Provides for matching
  4    funds to be available to public and private entities.
      Requires that the Secretary of Health and the
  5    Commissioner of Education form a committee to determine
      eligibility of sites to receive funds under the act.
  6    Requires that a community submit a proposal in order to
      receive matching funds for school nurse services.
  7    Specifies that the Legislature intends for a portion of
      funds for the program to be derived from revenues of the
  8    state's tobacco settlement.

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