Senate Bill sb0394c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 394

    By the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; and
    Senator Wise




    586-2249-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to transitional services for

  3         young adults with disabilities; creating a

  4         Health and Transition Services Program;

  5         assigning the program for administrative

  6         purposes to Children's Medical Services in the

  7         Department of Health; providing purposes of the

  8         program; delineating the target population;

  9         describing participating service providers and

10         the services that they are to provide; creating

11         an operational site in a designated locality in

12         the state; providing for expansion of program

13         sites; providing for an evaluation of the

14         program; providing an effective date.

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16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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18         Section 1.  Health and Transition Services Program;

19  creation; purposes; participating agencies and services

20  provided; evaluation.--

21         (1)  A Health and Transition Services Program is

22  created for the purpose of assisting adolescents and young

23  adults who have chronic special health care needs in making a

24  smooth transition from the child health care and educational

25  systems to the adult health care system and to employment.

26         (2)  For administrative purposes, the program is

27  located in Children's Medical Services in the Department of

28  Health. The department may enter into contracts, depending

29  upon specific appropriations, with local health and transition

30  services programs that meet the requirements of this section.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 394
    586-2249-07




 1         (3)  The target population for the program consists of

 2  persons who are 14 through 26 years of age and who have

 3  chronic special health care needs.

 4         (4)  The program structure and design must be adapted

 5  to the needs of the local community and health services

 6  delivery system; however, the following elements should be in

 7  place in order to ensure the success of a local health and

 8  transition services program:

 9         (a)  A consultative partnership between adult and

10  pediatric health care providers in a major medical health care

11  organization or academic medical setting for the purpose of

12  training and transferring adolescents and young adults to

13  adult health care services.

14         (b)  A primary care clinic established in a major

15  medical health care organization for the purpose of fostering

16  a partnership between adult and pediatric health care

17  providers.

18         (c)  Community-based health care services that are

19  provided under agreements with major health care organizations

20  or academic medical centers for the purpose of providing

21  consultation concerning the management of special health care

22  needs.

23         (d)  Community-based support organizations that can

24  provide assistance with services such as supported living and

25  employment, health insurance, and support services to maintain

26  the young adult in the community.

27         (5)  The following services may be offered by the local

28  health and transition services program to individuals who are

29  served in the local health and transition services program:

30         (a)  An assessment of health needs, educational and

31  vocational status and needs, and health insurance status.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 394
    586-2249-07




 1         (b)  In coordination with the educational system,

 2  community-based organizations, and the vocational system, a

 3  plan for transition which includes adult health care services,

 4  education, habilitative services, independent living, adult

 5  employment, and health insurance.

 6         (c)  A medical home that provides for coordinated and

 7  multidisciplinary care and focuses on engaging adult health

 8  care providers in the care and treatment of the adolescent or

 9  young adults.

10         (d)  Disease self-management programs.

11         (6)  The local health and transition services program

12  must be directed by a medical director having experience in

13  adolescent health. A project coordinator shall assist the

14  medical director in developing and implementing the program.

15  Other staff may be included in order to provide a full range

16  of health and transition services.

17         (7)  There may be up to 11 sites statewide, with the

18  Jacksonville program (JaxHATS) being the first site. Each

19  additional site must be organized in a substantially similar

20  manner as the JaxHATS program and have flexibility with regard

21  to staffing and costs in rural areas of the state.

22         (8)  The local health and transition services program

23  must be evaluated by an organization or university that has

24  expertise and experience in evaluating health care programs.

25  The evaluation must be formative and cumulative and must

26  include program process and outcome measures as well as client

27  outcomes. The results of the evaluation may be used to improve

28  and develop other local health and transition services

29  programs.

30         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 394
    586-2249-07




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 394

 3                                 

 4  The committee substitute:

 5  -    Clarifies that the target population of the Health and
         Transition Services Program is young adults age 14 to 26
 6       who have chronic special health needs.

 7  -    Provides that the program is established in the
         Department of Health, which is authorized to enter into
 8       contracts with up to 11 local health and transition
         services programs throughout the state.
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    -    Identifies certain elements that should be in place in
10       order for a local program to be successful and lists the
         services that should be offered to individuals served by
11       the local programs.

12  -    Clarifies that the elements and the services are
         permissive rather than mandatory and dependent on the
13       resources of the local communities in which the programs
         are located.
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