HB 235

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to women's health; requiring the
3	Department of Health to create a pilot program in Pasco,
4	Duval, and Miami-Dade Counties to provide health screening
5	for certain women; prescribing services; requiring
6	periodic assessment of participants in the program;
7	requiring the department to submit a report to the
8	Legislature; providing for expiration of the program;
9	providing an appropriation; providing an effective date.
10
11	WHEREAS, heart disease, stroke, and other forms of
12	cardiovascular disease are the number one cause of death for
13	women each year, and
14	WHEREAS, cardiovascular disease kills more women annually
15	than the next five leading causes of death combined, which
16	include all forms of cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases,
17	Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and accidents, and
18	WHEREAS, despite the statistics, many patients and health
19	care providers alike tend to think of heart disease as a disease
20	that primarily afflicts men, and
21	WHEREAS, in February 2004, the American Heart Association
22	began the vigorous "Go Red for Women" public awareness campaign
23	and a survey conducted in 2007 by the American Heart Association
24	found that 43 percent of women are still not aware that heart
25	disease is the leading cause of death among women, and
26	WHEREAS, the WISEWOMAN program, administered by the Centers
27	for Disease Control and Prevention, provides low-income,
28	underinsured, or uninsured women between 40 and 64 years of age
29	with chronic disease risk factor screening, lifestyle
30	intervention, and referral services in an effort to prevent
31	cardiovascular disease and promote healthy lifestyles, and
32	WHEREAS, WISEWOMAN programs provide standard preventive
33	services, including blood pressure and cholesterol testing and
34	lifestyle programs targeting poor nutrition, physical
35	inactivity, and smoking, and
36	WHEREAS, Florida is currently not participating in the
37	WISEWOMAN program due to a lack of federal funding, and
38	WHEREAS, the best chance for women in this state to reduce
39	their mortality rates due to cardiovascular disease is through
40	education and prevention, NOW, THEREFORE,
41
42	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
43
44	Section 1.  Cardiovascular screening and risk-reduction
45	pilot program.--
46	(1)  The Department of Health shall develop a
47	cardiovascular disease screening and lifestyle intervention
48	pilot program in Pasco, Duval, and Miami-Dade Counties for low-
49	income, underinsured, and uninsured women between 40 and 64
50	years of age, inclusive, at risk for heart disease, diabetes,
51	and stroke.
52	(2)  The department shall develop the program based on the
53	federal WISEWOMAN program administered by the Centers for
54	Disease Control and Prevention. The pilot program shall employ
55	specified measures to gauge the impact and outcome of the
56	program. These measures shall include a list of the educational
57	materials being distributed, the number of followup visits per
58	woman, an evaluation of the use of progress markers to reduce
59	risk factors, and a research and evaluation component.
60	(3)  The department shall prepare an annual report and
61	submit it to the Legislature by January 31 of each year. The
62	annual report shall compare the cardiovascular health of women
63	in the pilot program to available data on the cardiovascular
64	health of women nationally. The report shall include a fiscal
65	analysis and a recommendation outlining the benefits and costs
66	of expanding the pilot program throughout the state after the
67	program has been in existence for 3 years. The pilot program
68	shall expire July 1, 2012.
69	Section 2.  The sum of $500,000 is appropriated from the
70	funds collected under s. 210.02, Florida Statutes, to the
71	Department of Health to implement the pilot program created
72	under section 1.
73	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.