House Bill hb1463
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1463
By Representatives Brutus, Wilson, Rubio, Smith, Meadows,
Prieguez, Arza, Garcia, Diaz-Balart and Betancourt
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to human immunodeficiency
3 virus; amending s. 381.0046, F.S.; increasing
4 the number of HIV and AIDS minority
5 coordinators within the Department of Health;
6 requiring the department to expand its HIV/AIDS
7 prevention efforts in Florida's minority
8 communities and establish linkage programs for
9 HIV-positive inmates prior to their release
10 from jail; deleting obsolete language;
11 providing an appropriation; providing an
12 effective date.
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14 WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS is one of the state's most critical
15 public health challenges, with Florida having the third
16 highest number of AIDS cases in the nation and the second
17 highest number of pediatric AIDS cases, and
18 WHEREAS, minorities, primarily blacks and Hispanics,
19 now constitute 61 percent of the more than 83,000 adult and
20 pediatric AIDS cases reported in Florida since the epidemic
21 began in 1981, and
22 WHEREAS, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has disproportionately
23 affected Florida's minority communities, and
24 WHEREAS, the total medical and related lifetime costs
25 for a patient infected with HIV may reach $175,000 or more,
26 and
27 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that sustained,
28 comprehensive prevention efforts can have a substantial impact
29 on slowing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and
30 WHEREAS, the Legislature intends to decrease the number
31 of deaths of minorities due to HIV/AIDS by increasing public
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1463
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1 awareness, increasing early detection and treatment of
2 HIV/AIDS in the state's minority communities, and increasing
3 the coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts
4 in the state's minority communities, and
5 WHEREAS, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state's
6 jails exceeds the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the general
7 population, and
8 WHEREAS, recent advances in treatment for HIV/AIDS can
9 potentially reduce the number of opportunistic infections and
10 associated medical costs and delay the onset of death due to
11 the disease, and
12 WHEREAS, referral to appropriate medical and social
13 services upon the release of an inmate can play a crucial role
14 in treatment, care, and secondary prevention efforts, and
15 WHEREAS, the Legislature authorized the creation of the
16 Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force to provide recommendations on
17 strategies to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, early
18 intervention, and treatment efforts in Florida's minority
19 communities, NOW, THEREFORE,
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21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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23 Section 1. Section 381.0046, Florida Statutes, is
24 amended to read:
25 381.0046 Statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign.--
26 (1) The Department of Health shall develop and
27 implement a statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that is
28 directed towards minorities who are at risk of HIV infection.
29 The campaign shall include television, radio, and outdoor
30 advertising; public service announcements; and peer-to-peer
31 outreach. Each campaign message and concept shall be evaluated
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1463
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1 with members of the target group to ensure its effectiveness.
2 The campaign shall provide information on the risk of HIV and
3 AIDS infection and strategies to follow for prevention, early
4 detection, and treatment. The campaign shall use culturally
5 sensitive literature and educational materials and promote the
6 development of individual skills for behavior modification.
7 The campaign shall be expanded to include prevention
8 information specifically targeted to Florida's Hispanic and
9 Haitian communities.
10 (2) The Department of Health shall establish eight
11 four positions within the department for HIV and AIDS regional
12 minority coordinators and one position for a statewide HIV and
13 AIDS minority coordinator. The coordinators shall facilitate
14 statewide efforts to implement and coordinate HIV and AIDS
15 prevention and treatment programs. The statewide coordinator
16 shall report directly to the chief of the Bureau of HIV and
17 AIDS within the Department of Health.
18 (3) The Department of Health shall provide HIV/AIDS
19 outreach programs in Florida's minority communities to
20 identify persons infected with HIV/AIDS. These programs shall
21 address real and perceived barriers to HIV testing among
22 Florida's minority populations. The Department of Health
23 shall, with assistance from the Minority HIV and AIDS Task
24 Force and the statewide coordinator, plan and conduct a
25 statewide Black Leadership Conference on HIV and AIDS by
26 January 2000. The conference shall provide workshops for
27 minority organizations in building skills and improving an
28 organization's capacity to conduct HIV and AIDS prevention and
29 treatment programs.
30 (4) The department shall provide a program to ensure
31 that HIV-positive persons are linked with prevention, care,
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1 and support services. This program shall be provided in a
2 culturally sensitive manner to promote prevention among
3 persons who are HIV positive and increase the acceptance and
4 delivery of care and support services in high-risk
5 communities.
6 (5) The department shall expand testing programs for
7 HIV, sexually transmissible diseases, and hepatitis in local
8 county jails. The department shall establish programs for
9 HIV-positive inmates to ensure coordination and linkage to
10 treatment and secondary prevention messages upon their
11 release.
12 (6) To promote HIV testing among minority persons who
13 are at risk of infection, the department shall expand its HIV
14 counseling, testing, and referral services to include
15 additional Orasure testing.
16 (7) These minority programs shall be consistent with
17 the findings and recommendations of the Minority HIV and AIDS
18 Task Force, the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Prevention Plan, and
19 the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and
20 Prevention.
21 Section 2. There is appropriated from the General
22 Revenue Fund to the Department of Health the sum of $5 million
23 to implement the programs described in this act. The
24 Department of Health is authorized to use 1 percent of this
25 appropriation for administration of these programs.
26 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
27 law.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1463
755-126A-02
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2 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Increases from four to eight the number of HIV and AIDS
4 minority coordinators within the Department of Health.
Requires the department to expand its HIV/AIDS prevention
5 efforts in Florida's minority communities and establish
linkage programs for HIV-positive inmates prior to their
6 release from jail. Provides an appropriation.
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