Senate Bill sb0374
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 374
By Senator Peaden
2-369-06
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the area health education
3 center network; amending s. 381.0402, F.S.;
4 requiring the Department of Health to cooperate
5 with specified medical schools in maintaining
6 and evaluating the network; expanding the
7 purposes of the network; requiring the
8 department to contract with the medical schools
9 to provide funds to the network; providing that
10 the persons to be served by the network are
11 "medically underserved populations" rather than
12 "low-income people"; requiring that the center
13 assist in linking the provision of primary care
14 services to medically underserved populations
15 and to provide for the education of students in
16 the health care professions and health care
17 providers serving medically underserved
18 populations, as well as medical students,
19 interns, and residents; amending s. 381.0405,
20 F.S.; providing that the Office of Rural Health
21 is responsible for state coordination of
22 federal rural hospital and rural health care
23 grant programs; deleting obsolete provisions;
24 creating s. 381.0409, F.S.; authorizing the
25 Department of Health to coordinate with the
26 Federal Government in carrying out certain
27 activities relating to the recruitment and
28 placement of health practitioners in medically
29 underserved areas; providing an effective date.
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31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 374
2-369-06
1 Section 1. Section 381.0402, Florida Statutes, is
2 amended to read:
3 381.0402 Area health education center network.--The
4 department, in cooperation with the state-approved medical
5 schools located in this state which form the area health
6 education center network in this state, shall maintain and
7 evaluate organize an area health education center network
8 focused based on earlier medically indigent demonstration
9 projects and shall evaluate the impact of each network on
10 improving access to health services by persons who are
11 medically underserved. The network shall serve as be a
12 catalyst for the primary care training of health professionals
13 by increasing through increased opportunities for training in
14 medically underserved areas, increasing access to primary care
15 services, providing health workforce recruitment, enhancing
16 the quality of health care, and addressing current and
17 emerging public health issues.
18 (1) The department shall contract with the medical
19 schools to assist in funding the an area health education
20 center network, which links the provision of primary care
21 services to medically underserved populations, and which
22 provides for low-income persons with the education of:
23 (a) Medical students, interns, and residents. The
24 network shall:
25 (a) Be coordinated with and under contract with the
26 state-approved medical schools, which shall be responsible for
27 the clinical training and supervision.
28 1.(b) Divide the state into service areas within the
29 network for with each state-approved medical school
30 coordinating the recruitment recruiting, training, and
31 retention of medical students within its assigned area.
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 374
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1 (c) Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate
2 medical supervision.
3 2.(d) Use current community resources, such as county
4 health departments, federally funded community or migrant
5 health primary care centers, and or other primary health care
6 providers, as community-based sites for training medical
7 students, interns, and residents.
8 3. Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate
9 medical supervision.
10 (b) Students in the health care professions. The
11 network shall:
12 1. Facilitate the recruitment, training, and retention
13 of students in the health care professions within service
14 areas.
15 2. Use community resources, such as county health
16 departments, federally funded community or migrant health
17 centers, and other primary health care providers, as sites for
18 training students in the health care professions.
19 3. Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate
20 supervision.
21 (c) Health care providers serving medically
22 underserved populations. The network shall:
23 1. Assist providers in medically underserved areas and
24 other safety net providers in remaining current in their
25 fields through a variety of community resource initiatives.
26 2. Strengthen the health care safety net in this state
27 by enhancing services and increasing access to care in
28 medically underserved areas.
29 3. Provide other services, such as library and
30 information resources, continuing professional education,
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 374
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1 technical assistance, and other support services, for
2 providers who serve in medically underserved areas.
3 (2) The department shall establish criteria and
4 procedures for quality assurance, performance evaluations,
5 periodic audits, and other appropriate safeguards for the
6 network.
7 (3) The department shall make every effort to assure
8 that the network does participating medical schools do not
9 discriminate among enrollees with respect to age, race, sex,
10 or health status. However, the network such schools may target
11 high-risk medically needy population groups.
12 (4) The department may use no more than 5 percent of
13 the annual appropriation for administering and evaluating the
14 network.
15 Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section
16 381.0405, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
17 381.0405 Office of Rural Health.--
18 (4) COORDINATION.--The office shall:
19 (f) Assume responsibility for state coordination of
20 the Rural Hospital Transition Grant Program, the Essential
21 Access Community Hospital Program, and other federal rural
22 hospital and rural health care grant programs.
23 Section 3. Section 381.0409, Florida Statutes, is
24 created to read:
25 381.0409 Coordination with federal health professional
26 recruitment and placement programs.--The department may
27 coordinate with the Federal Government to designate areas of
28 health professional shortages and medically underserved areas,
29 to recommend foreign physicians for visa waivers, to document
30 health professionals working in the public interest, and to
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 374
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1 place health care professionals in medically underserved areas
2 using federally funded recruitment-incentive programs.
3 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
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6 SENATE SUMMARY
7 Requires the Department of Health to cooperate with
specified medical schools in maintaining and evaluating
8 the area health education center network. Expands the
purposes of the network. Requires that the department
9 contract with the named medical schools to provide funds
to the network. Provides that the persons to be served by
10 the network are "medically underserved populations"
rather than "low-income people." Provides that the center
11 assist in linking the provision of primary care services
to medically underserved populations with the education
12 of students in the health care professions and of health
care providers serving medically underserved populations,
13 as well as that of medical students, interns, and
residents. (See bill for details.)
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