| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Department of Health; amending s. |
| 3 | 20.43, F.S.; requiring the department to promote health |
| 4 | and wellness and disease prevention initiatives; renaming |
| 5 | the Secretary of the Department of Health as the Florida |
| 6 | Surgeon General; amending s. 381.0605, F.S.; conforming |
| 7 | language to changes made by the act; directing the |
| 8 | Division of Statutory Revision to make conforming changes |
| 9 | to the Florida Statutes; providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), (5), and (6) of section |
| 14 | 20.43, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 15 | 20.43 Department of Health.--There is created a Department |
| 16 | of Health. |
| 17 | (1) The purpose of the Department of Health is to promote |
| 18 | and protect the health of all residents and visitors in the |
| 19 | state through organized state and community efforts, including |
| 20 | cooperative agreements with counties. The department shall: |
| 21 | (a) Prevent to the fullest extent possible, the occurrence |
| 22 | and progression of communicable and noncommunicable diseases and |
| 23 | disabilities. |
| 24 | (b) Maintain a constant surveillance of disease occurrence |
| 25 | and accumulate health statistics necessary to establish disease |
| 26 | trends and to design health programs. |
| 27 | (c) Conduct special studies of the causes of diseases and |
| 28 | formulate preventive strategies. |
| 29 | (d) Promote the maintenance and improvement of the |
| 30 | environment as it affects public health. |
| 31 | (e) Promote the maintenance and improvement of health in |
| 32 | the residents of the state. |
| 33 | (f) Promote health and wellness and disease prevention |
| 34 | initiatives. |
| 35 | (g)(f) Provide leadership, in cooperation with the public |
| 36 | and private sectors, in establishing statewide and community |
| 37 | public health delivery systems. |
| 38 | (h)(g) Provide health care and early intervention services |
| 39 | to infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, and high-risk |
| 40 | perinatal patients who are at risk for disabling conditions or |
| 41 | have chronic illnesses. |
| 42 | (i)(h) Provide services to abused and neglected children |
| 43 | through child protection teams and sexual abuse treatment |
| 44 | programs. |
| 45 | (j)(i) Develop working associations with all agencies and |
| 46 | organizations involved and interested in health and health care |
| 47 | delivery. |
| 48 | (k)(j) Analyze trends in the evolution of health systems, |
| 49 | and identify and promote the use of innovative, cost-effective |
| 50 | health delivery systems. |
| 51 | (l)(k) Serve as the statewide repository of all aggregate |
| 52 | data accumulated by state agencies related to health care; |
| 53 | analyze that data and issue periodic reports and policy |
| 54 | statements, as appropriate; require that all aggregated data be |
| 55 | kept in a manner that promotes easy utilization by the public, |
| 56 | state agencies, and all other interested parties; provide |
| 57 | technical assistance as required; and work cooperatively with |
| 58 | the state's higher education programs to promote further study |
| 59 | and analysis of health care systems and health care outcomes. |
| 60 | (m)(l) Include in the department's strategic plan |
| 61 | developed under s. 186.021 an assessment of current health |
| 62 | programs, systems, and costs; projections of future problems and |
| 63 | opportunities; and recommended changes that are needed in the |
| 64 | health care system to improve the public health. |
| 65 | (n)(m) Regulate health practitioners, to the extent |
| 66 | authorized by the Legislature, as necessary for the preservation |
| 67 | of the health, safety, and welfare of the public. |
| 68 | (2)(a) The head of the Department of Health is the Florida |
| 69 | Surgeon General Secretary of Health and State Health Officer. |
| 70 | The surgeon general secretary must be a physician licensed under |
| 71 | chapter 458 or chapter 459 who has advanced training or |
| 72 | extensive experience in public health administration. The |
| 73 | surgeon general secretary is appointed by the Governor subject |
| 74 | to confirmation by the Senate. The surgeon general secretary |
| 75 | serves at the pleasure of the Governor. |
| 76 | (b) The Officer of Women's Health Strategy is established |
| 77 | within the Department of Health and shall report directly to the |
| 78 | surgeon general secretary. |
| 79 | (5) The department shall plan and administer its public |
| 80 | health programs through its county health departments and may, |
| 81 | for administrative purposes and efficient service delivery, |
| 82 | establish up to 15 service areas to carry out such duties as may |
| 83 | be prescribed by the surgeon general secretary. The boundaries |
| 84 | of the service areas shall be the same as, or combinations of, |
| 85 | the service districts of the Department of Children and Family |
| 86 | Services established in s. 20.19 and, to the extent practicable, |
| 87 | shall take into consideration the boundaries of the jobs and |
| 88 | education regional boards. |
| 89 | (6) The surgeon general secretary and division directors |
| 90 | are authorized to appoint ad hoc advisory committees as |
| 91 | necessary. The issue or problem that the ad hoc committee shall |
| 92 | address, and the timeframe within which the committee is to |
| 93 | complete its work, shall be specified at the time the committee |
| 94 | is appointed. Ad hoc advisory committees shall include |
| 95 | representatives of groups or entities affected by the issue or |
| 96 | problem that the committee is asked to examine. Members of ad |
| 97 | hoc advisory committees shall receive no compensation, but may, |
| 98 | within existing departmental resources, receive reimbursement |
| 99 | for travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061. |
| 100 | Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 381.0605, Florida |
| 101 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 102 | 381.0605 Survey of state hospital facilities; Agency for |
| 103 | Health Care Administration.-- |
| 104 | (2) The Governor is authorized to provide for carrying out |
| 105 | such purposes in accordance with the standards prescribed by the |
| 106 | Surgeon General of the United States. |
| 107 | Section 3. The Division of Statutory Revision of the |
| 108 | Office of Legislative Services shall change "Secretary of |
| 109 | Health," "Secretary of the Department of Health," or "State |
| 110 | Health Officer" to "Florida Surgeon General" and change |
| 111 | "secretary," with respect to that department, to "surgeon |
| 112 | general" wherever the same appears in Florida Statutes. |
| 113 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |