| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to cardiovascular disease; creating the |
| 3 | Florida Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke; |
| 4 | providing definitions; providing for the appointment of |
| 5 | members; providing terms of membership; providing |
| 6 | requirements for voting and a quorum; providing for |
| 7 | quarterly meetings; requiring the Department of Health to |
| 8 | provide administrative support; providing for |
| 9 | reimbursement of per diem and travel expenses; providing |
| 10 | powers and duties of the council; requiring the council to |
| 11 | submit written recommendations to the department, the |
| 12 | Governor, and the Legislature by a specified date; |
| 13 | requiring the council to report on its activities and |
| 14 | accounting of funds to the Governor and the Legislature; |
| 15 | requiring the council to review available clinical |
| 16 | resources and develop a database of recommendations for |
| 17 | care and treatment of patients having cardiovascular |
| 18 | disease or patients at the risk of or who have suffered |
| 19 | from a stroke; requiring the council to make this database |
| 20 | available to the public; requiring the council to collect |
| 21 | and analyze information related to cardiovascular disease |
| 22 | and stroke from different agencies and organizations and |
| 23 | create and maintain a database of the information; |
| 24 | providing requirements for the database; authorizing the |
| 25 | council to use information from other sources; providing |
| 26 | an effective date. |
| 27 |
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| 28 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 29 |
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| 30 | Section 1. Florida Council on Cardiovascular Disease and |
| 31 | Stroke.-- |
| 32 | (1) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term: |
| 33 | (a) "Cardiovascular disease" means the group of diseases |
| 34 | that involve the heart and blood vessels and that are the result |
| 35 | of complex interactions between multiple inherited traits and |
| 36 | environmental factors. |
| 37 | (b) "Council" means the Florida Council on Cardiovascular |
| 38 | Disease and Stroke. |
| 39 | (c) "Managed care entity" means a health maintenance |
| 40 | organization or a prepaid health clinic certified under chapter |
| 41 | 641, a prepaid health plan authorized under s. 409.912, Florida |
| 42 | Statutes, or an exclusive provider organization certified under |
| 43 | s. 627.6472, Florida Statutes. |
| 44 | (2) APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL; TERMS OF MEMBERS.-- |
| 45 | (a) The Florida Council on Cardiovascular Disease and |
| 46 | Stroke is composed of 13 members, including a chairperson, who |
| 47 | shall be appointed by the Governor and who are subject to |
| 48 | confirmation by the Senate, as follows: |
| 49 | 1. A licensed physician whose area of specialization is |
| 50 | cardiology; |
| 51 | 2. A licensed physician whose area of specialization is |
| 52 | neurology to treat stroke; |
| 53 | 3. A licensed physician who is employed in a primary care |
| 54 | setting; |
| 55 | 4. A licensed physician whose area of specialization is |
| 56 | emergency medicine and who serves as an emergency services |
| 57 | medical director. |
| 58 | 5. A registered nurse whose area of specialization is |
| 59 | quality improvement practices for cardiovascular disease and |
| 60 | stroke; |
| 61 | 6. A registered and licensed dietitian; |
| 62 | 7. A pharmacist who is licensed in this state; |
| 63 | 8. Two persons who have experience and training in public |
| 64 | health policy, research, or practice; |
| 65 | 9. Two consumer members, with special consideration given |
| 66 | to persons who are active participants in the Florida affiliates |
| 67 | of the American Heart Association or American Stroke Association |
| 68 | and who work in a managed care entity or in a hospital or |
| 69 | rehabilitation setting; and |
| 70 | 10. Two members of the public who provide care for persons |
| 71 | who have cardiovascular disease or are at risk of a stroke or |
| 72 | who have suffered from cardiovascular disease or stroke. |
| 73 | (b) In appointing members under paragraph (a), the |
| 74 | Governor shall attempt to appoint female members and members of |
| 75 | different minority groups, including African Americans, Hispanic |
| 76 | Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. The Governor |
| 77 | shall fill any vacancies for the remainder of the unexpired term |
| 78 | in the same manner as the original appointment. |
| 79 | (c) Members of the council shall be appointed to staggered |
| 80 | 4-year terms, with the terms of three or four of the members |
| 81 | expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year. |
| 82 | (d) A majority of the members of the council constitutes a |
| 83 | quorum, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the members is |
| 84 | necessary to take action. |
| 85 | (e) The council shall meet quarterly or at the call of the |
| 86 | chairperson. |
| 87 | (f) The Department of Health shall provide staff and |
| 88 | administrative support for the council. |
| 89 | (g) Members of the council shall serve without |
| 90 | compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for travel and |
| 91 | per diem expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in |
| 92 | accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 93 | (3) POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.-- |
| 94 | (a) The council shall develop an effective and resource- |
| 95 | efficient plan to reduce the morbidity, mortality, and economic |
| 96 | burden of cardiovascular disease and stroke in this state. The |
| 97 | council shall: |
| 98 | 1. Conduct health education, public awareness, and |
| 99 | community outreach activities that relate to primary and |
| 100 | secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke; |
| 101 | 2. Promote, enhance, and coordinate health education, |
| 102 | public awareness, and community outreach activities that relate |
| 103 | to primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease |
| 104 | and stroke and that are provided by private and other public |
| 105 | organizations; |
| 106 | 3. Coordinate activities with other entities that are |
| 107 | concerned with medical conditions that are similar to |
| 108 | cardiovascular disease and stroke or that have similar risk |
| 109 | factors; |
| 110 | 4. Identify for health care providers, employers, schools, |
| 111 | community health centers, and other groups the benefits of |
| 112 | encouraging treatment and primary and secondary prevention, |
| 113 | promote public awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke, |
| 114 | and recognize innovative and effective programs that achieve the |
| 115 | objectives of improved treatment, prevention, and public |
| 116 | awareness; |
| 117 | 5. Provide guidance regarding the roles and |
| 118 | responsibilities of government agencies, health care providers, |
| 119 | employers, third-party payers, patients, and families of |
| 120 | patients in the treatment, primary and secondary prevention, and |
| 121 | public awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke; |
| 122 | 6. Improve access to treatment for and primary and |
| 123 | secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke |
| 124 | through public awareness programs, including access for |
| 125 | uninsured individuals and individuals living in rural or |
| 126 | underserved areas; |
| 127 | 7. Assist communities in developing comprehensive local |
| 128 | programs for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and |
| 129 | stroke; |
| 130 | 8. Assist the Department of Education and local school |
| 131 | districts in promoting a public school curriculum that includes |
| 132 | physical, nutritional, and health education relating to the |
| 133 | prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke; |
| 134 | 9. Establish appropriate forums, programs, or initiatives |
| 135 | that are designed to educate the public regarding the effect of |
| 136 | heart disease and stroke on women's health, with an emphasis on |
| 137 | preventive health and healthy lifestyles; |
| 138 | 10. Evaluate and enhance the implementation and |
| 139 | effectiveness of the program developed under this section; and |
| 140 | 11. Advise the Legislature on legislation that is needed |
| 141 | to develop further and maintain a statewide system of quality |
| 142 | education services for all persons who have cardiovascular |
| 143 | disease or who have suffered from or are at risk for stroke. The |
| 144 | council may develop and submit legislation to the Legislature or |
| 145 | comment on pending legislation that affects persons who have |
| 146 | cardiovascular disease or who have suffered from or are at risk |
| 147 | for stroke. |
| 148 | (b) By January 15, 2010, the council shall make written |
| 149 | recommendations for performing its duties under this section to |
| 150 | the Department of Health, the Governor, the President of the |
| 151 | Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. |
| 152 | (c) By January 15, 2011, and each January 15 thereafter, |
| 153 | the council shall report to the Governor, the President of the |
| 154 | Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the |
| 155 | activities of the council, accounting for all funds received and |
| 156 | disbursed by or for the council during the preceding fiscal |
| 157 | year. |
| 158 | (4) DATABASE OF CLINICAL RESOURCES.--The council shall |
| 159 | review available clinical resources and shall develop a database |
| 160 | of recommendations for appropriate care and treatment of |
| 161 | patients who have cardiovascular disease or patients who have |
| 162 | suffered from or are at risk for stroke. The council shall make |
| 163 | the database accessible to the public. |
| 164 | (5) CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND STROKE DATABASE.-- |
| 165 | (a) The council shall collect and analyze information |
| 166 | related to cardiovascular disease and stroke at the state level |
| 167 | and regional level and, to the extent feasible, at the local |
| 168 | level. The council shall obtain the information from federal and |
| 169 | state agencies and from private and public organizations. The |
| 170 | council shall maintain a database of this information. The |
| 171 | database shall include, but need not be limited to: |
| 172 | 1. Information related to behavioral risk factors |
| 173 | identified for cardiovascular disease and stroke; |
| 174 | 2. Morbidity and mortality rates for cardiovascular |
| 175 | disease and stroke; and |
| 176 | 3. Community indicators relevant to cardiovascular disease |
| 177 | and stroke. |
| 178 | (b) In compiling the database, the council may use |
| 179 | information available from other sources, such as the Behavioral |
| 180 | Risk Factor Surveillance System established by the Centers for |
| 181 | Disease Control and Prevention, reports of data from hospital |
| 182 | discharges, and information included in death certificates. |
| 183 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |