Senate Bill sb0514
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 514
By Senator Wilson
33-181-03
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 provisions;
11 providing an effective date.
12
13 WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS is one of the state's most critical
14 public health challenges, with Florida having the third
15 highest number of AIDS cases in the nation and the second
16 highest number of pediatric AIDS cases, and
17 WHEREAS, minorities, primarily blacks and Hispanics,
18 now constitute 61 percent of the more than 83,000 adult and
19 pediatric AIDS cases reported in Florida since the epidemic
20 began in 1981, and
21 WHEREAS, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has disproportionately
22 affected Florida's minority communities, and
23 WHEREAS, the total medical and related lifetime costs
24 for a patient infected with HIV may reach $175,000 or more,
25 and
26 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that sustained,
27 comprehensive prevention efforts can have a substantial impact
28 on slowing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and
29 WHEREAS, the Legislature intends to decrease the number
30 of deaths of minorities due to HIV/AIDS by increasing public
31 awareness, increasing early detection and treatment of
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 514
33-181-03
1 HIV/AIDS in the state's minority communities, and increasing
2 the coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts
3 in the state's minority communities, and
4 WHEREAS, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state's
5 jails exceeds the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the general
6 population, and
7 WHEREAS, recent advances in treatment for HIV/AIDS can
8 potentially reduce the number of opportunistic infections and
9 associated medical costs and delay the onset of death due to
10 the disease, and
11 WHEREAS, referral to appropriate medical and social
12 services upon the release of an inmate can play a crucial role
13 in treatment, care, and secondary prevention efforts, and
14 WHEREAS, the Legislature authorized the creation of the
15 Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force to provide recommendations on
16 strategies to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, early
17 intervention, and treatment efforts in Florida's minority
18 communities, NOW, THEREFORE,
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 381.0046, Florida Statutes, is
23 amended to read:
24 381.0046 Statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign.--
25 (1) The Department of Health shall develop and
26 implement a statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that is
27 directed towards minorities who are at risk of HIV infection.
28 The campaign shall include television, radio, and outdoor
29 advertising; public service announcements; and peer-to-peer
30 outreach. Each campaign message and concept shall be evaluated
31 with members of the target group to ensure its effectiveness.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 514
33-181-03
1 The campaign shall provide information on the risk of HIV and
2 AIDS infection and strategies to follow for prevention, early
3 detection, and treatment. The campaign shall use culturally
4 sensitive literature and educational materials and promote the
5 development of individual skills for behavior modification.
6 The campaign shall be expanded to include prevention
7 information specifically targeted to Florida's Hispanic and
8 Haitian communities.
9 (2) The Department of Health shall establish eight
10 four positions within the department for HIV and AIDS regional
11 minority coordinators and one position for a statewide HIV and
12 AIDS minority coordinator. The coordinators shall facilitate
13 statewide efforts to implement and coordinate HIV and AIDS
14 prevention and treatment programs. The statewide coordinator
15 shall report directly to the chief of the Bureau of HIV and
16 AIDS within the Department of Health.
17 (3) The Department of Health shall provide HIV/AIDS
18 outreach programs in Florida's minority communities to
19 identify persons infected with HIV/AIDS. These programs shall
20 address real and perceived barriers to HIV testing among
21 Florida's minority populations. The Department of Health
22 shall, with assistance from the Minority HIV and AIDS Task
23 Force and the statewide coordinator, plan and conduct a
24 statewide Black Leadership Conference on HIV and AIDS by
25 January 2000. The conference shall provide workshops for
26 minority organizations in building skills and improving an
27 organization's capacity to conduct HIV and AIDS prevention and
28 treatment programs.
29 (4) The department shall provide a program to ensure
30 that HIV-positive persons are linked with prevention, care,
31 and support services. This program shall be provided in a
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 514
33-181-03
1 culturally sensitive manner to promote prevention among
2 persons who are HIV positive and increase the acceptance and
3 delivery of care and support services in high-risk
4 communities.
5 (5) The department shall expand testing programs for
6 HIV, sexually transmissible diseases, and hepatitis in local
7 county jails. The department shall establish programs for
8 HIV-positive inmates to ensure coordination and linkage to
9 treatment and secondary prevention messages upon their
10 release.
11 (6) To promote HIV testing among minority persons who
12 are at risk of infection, the department shall expand its HIV
13 counseling, testing, and referral services to include
14 additional Orasure testing.
15 (7) These minority programs shall be consistent with
16 the findings and recommendations of the Minority HIV and AIDS
17 Task Force, the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Prevention Plan, and
18 the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and
19 Prevention.
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
21 law.
22
23 *****************************************
24 SENATE SUMMARY
25 Increases from four to eight the number of HIV and AIDS
minority coordinators within the Department of Health.
26 Requires the department to expand its HIV/AIDS prevention
efforts in Florida's minority communities and establish
27 linkage programs for HIV-positive inmates prior to their
release from jail.
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31
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