HB 0417 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to human immunodeficiency virus; amending
3	s. 381.0046, F.S.; increasing the number of HIV and AIDS
4	minority coordinators within the Department of Health;
5	requiring the department to expand its HIV/AIDS prevention
6	efforts in Florida's minority communities and establish
7	linkage programs for HIV-positive inmates prior to their
8	release from jail; deleting obsolete provisions; providing
9	an effective date.
10
11	WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS is one of the state's most critical
12	public health challenges, with Florida having the third highest
13	number of AIDS cases in the nation and the second highest number
14	of pediatric AIDS cases, and
15	WHEREAS, minorities, primarily blacks and Hispanics, now
16	constitute 61 percent of the more than 83,000 adult and
17	pediatric AIDS cases reported in Florida since the epidemic
18	began in 1981, and
19	WHEREAS, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has disproportionately
20	affected Florida's minority communities, and
21	WHEREAS, the total medical and related lifetime costs for a
22	patient infected with HIV may reach $175,000 or more, and
23	WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that sustained,
24	comprehensive prevention efforts can have a substantial impact
25	on slowing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and
26	WHEREAS, the Legislature intends to decrease the number of
27	deaths of minorities due to HIV/AIDS by increasing public
28	awareness, increasing early detection and treatment of HIV/AIDS
29	in the state's minority communities, and increasing the
30	coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts in the
31	state's minority communities, and
32	WHEREAS, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state's jails
33	exceeds the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the general population,
34	and
35	WHEREAS, recent advances in treatment for HIV/AIDS can
36	potentially reduce the number of opportunistic infections and
37	associated medical costs and delay the onset of death due to the
38	disease, and
39	WHEREAS, referral to appropriate medical and social
40	services upon the release of an inmate can play a crucial role
41	in treatment, care, and secondary prevention efforts, and
42	WHEREAS, the Legislature authorized the creation of the
43	Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force to provide recommendations on
44	strategies to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, early
45	intervention, and treatment efforts in Florida's minority
46	communities, NOW, THEREFORE,
47
48	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50	Section 1. Section 381.0046, Florida Statutes, is amended
51	to read:
52	381.0046 Statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign.--
53	(1) The Department of Health shall develop and implement a
54	statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that is directed
55	towards minorities who are at risk of HIV infection. The
56	campaign shall include television, radio, and outdoor
57	advertising; public service announcements; and peer-to-peer
58	outreach. Each campaign message and concept shall be evaluated
59	with members of the target group to ensure its effectiveness.
60	The campaign shall provide information on the risk of HIV and
61	AIDS infection and strategies to follow for prevention, early
62	detection, and treatment. The campaign shall use culturally
63	sensitive literature and educational materials and promote the
64	development of individual skills for behavior modification.The
65	campaign shall be expanded to include prevention information
66	specifically targeted to Florida's Hispanic and Haitian
67	communities.
68	(2) The Department of Health shall establisheightfour
69	positions within the department for HIV and AIDS regional
70	minority coordinators and one position for a statewide HIV and
71	AIDS minority coordinator. The coordinators shall facilitate
72	statewide efforts to implement and coordinate HIV and AIDS
73	prevention and treatment programs. The statewide coordinator
74	shall report directly to the chief of the Bureau of HIV and AIDS
75	within the Department of Health.
76	(3)The Department of Health shall provide HIV/AIDS
77	outreach programs in Florida's minority communities to identify
78	persons infected with HIV/AIDS. These programs shall address
79	real and perceived barriers to HIV testing among Florida's
80	minority populations.The Department of Health shall, with
81	assistance from the Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force and the
82	statewide coordinator, plan and conduct a statewide Black
83	Leadership Conference on HIV and AIDS by January 2000. The
84	conference shall provide workshops for minority organizations in
85	building skills and improving an organization's capacity to
86	conduct HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment programs.
87	(4) The department shall provide a program to ensure that
88	HIV-positive persons are linked with prevention, care, and
89	support services. This program shall be provided in a culturally
90	sensitive manner to promote prevention among persons who are HIV
91	positive and increase the acceptance and delivery of care and
92	support services in high-risk communities.
93	(5) The department shall expand testing programs for HIV,
94	sexually transmissible diseases, and hepatitis in local county
95	jails. The department shall establish programs for HIV-positive
96	inmates to ensure coordination and linkage to treatment and
97	secondary prevention messages upon their release.
98	(6) To promote HIV testing among minority persons who are
99	at risk of infection, the department shall expand its HIV
100	counseling, testing, and referral services to include additional
101	Orasure testing.
102	(7) These minority programs shall be consistent with the
103	findings and recommendations of the Minority HIV and AIDS Task
104	Force, the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Prevention Plan, and the
105	recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and
106	Prevention.
107	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
108