Florida Senate - 2010 CS for SB 1300
By the Committee on Health Regulation; and Senators Hill, Smith,
Siplin, and Fasano
588-04372-10 20101300c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Prostate Cancer Awareness
3 Program; amending s. 381.911, F.S.; revising the
4 purpose, structure, and objectives of the Prostate
5 Cancer Awareness Program within the University of
6 Florida Prostate Disease Center; authorizing the
7 University of Florida Prostate Disease Center to work
8 with other organizations and institutions to create a
9 systemic focus on increasing community education and
10 awareness of prostate cancer; requiring the University
11 of Florida Prostate Disease Center to collaborate with
12 the Department of Health to establish the UFPDC
13 Prostate Cancer Task Force, which was formerly
14 designated as a “committee”; requiring the State
15 Surgeon General, upon recommendation of the executive
16 director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease
17 Center in consultation with the Comprehensive Cancer
18 Control Program within the Department of Health and
19 the Florida Cancer Control Program, to appoint members
20 to the UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force; providing for
21 reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses;
22 providing for terms of office; providing for the
23 appointment of a chair and co-chair; providing for
24 meetings; providing for a quorum of the task force;
25 providing the duties of the task force, including an
26 annual prostate cancer symposium and submission of an
27 annual report to the Governor, the State Surgeon
28 General, and the Legislature; providing an effective
29 date.
30
31 WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that prostate cancer is
32 a major public health problem and that promoting awareness of
33 this disease is in the public interest of this state, and
34 WHEREAS, according to the Department of Health’s Florida
35 Cancer Plan 2003-2006, prostate cancer was the most commonly
36 diagnosed cancer in Florida, accounting for one in every four
37 cancer diagnoses, and
38 WHEREAS, the costs of screening, staging, and treating
39 prostate cancer patients in both dollars and morbidity continue
40 to rise, which threatens the foundation of this state’s health
41 system, and
42 WHEREAS, because African-American men are 2.8 times more
43 likely to succumb to prostate cancer than their white
44 counterparts, a call for action is mandatory, and
45 WHEREAS, there are currently no organized, active, or
46 effective mechanisms in Florida to mitigate the incidence of
47 prostate cancer, the lack of community education and awareness,
48 the racial and ethnic disparities, and rising burdens of
49 prostate cancer, and
50 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it is a public
51 necessity to work with the University of Florida Prostate
52 Disease Center to establish the UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force
53 and to make changes to the Prostate Cancer Awareness Program in
54 order to more effectively serve the needs of the people in
55 Florida, NOW, THEREFORE,
56
57 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
58
59 Section 1. Section 381.911, Florida Statutes, is amended to
60 read:
61 381.911 Prostate Cancer Awareness Program.—
62 (1) To the extent that funds are specifically made
63 available for this purpose, the Prostate Cancer Awareness
64 Program is established within the University of Florida Prostate
65 Disease Center Department of Health. The purpose of this program
66 is to diligently work toward implementing implement the
67 recommendations from of January 2000 of the Florida Prostate
68 Cancer Task Force to provide for statewide outreach to promote
69 prostate cancer awareness, to communicate the advantages of
70 early detection, to report recent progress in prostate cancer
71 research and the availability of clinical trials, to minimize
72 health disparities through outreach, education, and screening
73 events, to communicate best-practice principles to physicians
74 involved in the care of prostate cancer patients, and to
75 establish a communication platform for patients and their
76 advocates and health education activities to ensure that men are
77 aware of and appropriately seek medical counseling for prostate
78 cancer as an early-detection health care measure.
79 (2) For purposes of implementing the program, the
80 University of Florida Prostate Disease Center (UFPDC) may work
81 with other organizations and institutions to create a systemic
82 focus on increasing community education and awareness about
83 prostate cancer by Department of Health and the Florida Public
84 Health Institute, Inc., may:
85 (a) Conducting Conduct activities directly or entering
86 enter into contracts a contract with a qualified nonprofit
87 community education entities entity.
88 (b) Seeking Seek any available gifts, grants, or funds from
89 the state, the Federal Government, philanthropic foundations,
90 and industry or business groups.
91 (3) The University of Florida Prostate Disease Center shall
92 collaborate with the Department of Health to establish the UFPDC
93 Prostate Cancer Task Force and to lead the task force in
94 developing and implementing strategies to improve early
95 detection and, consequently, reduce the number of patients
96 succumbing to prostate cancer. A Prostate Cancer Advisory
97 committee is created to advise and assist the Department of
98 Health and the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc., in
99 implementing the program.
100 (a) The State Surgeon General, upon recommendation of the
101 executive director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease
102 Center in consultation with the Comprehensive Cancer Control
103 Program within the Department of Health and the Florida Cancer
104 Control Program, shall appoint geographically and
105 institutionally diverse task force the advisory committee
106 members, who shall consist of:
107 1. Three persons from prostate cancer survivor groups or
108 cancer-related advocacy groups.
109 1.2. One person Three persons who is a scientist are
110 scientists or clinician clinicians from a community practice who
111 is a known expert in prostate cancer care, research, or
112 education public universities or research organizations.
113 2.3. One person Three persons who is are engaged in the
114 practice of a cancer-related medical specialty from a health
115 organization organizations committed to cancer research and
116 control.
117 3. The executive director for the University of Florida
118 Prostate Disease Center or his or her designee.
119 4. One person, appointed by the Governor, who is a consumer
120 advocate and has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
121 5. One person, appointed by the Governor, who is a
122 scientist or clinician from an instate university.
123 6. One person, appointed by the President of the Senate,
124 who is engaged in the practice of a cancer-related medical
125 specialty from a health organization committed to cancer
126 research and control.
127 7. One person from the public, appointed by the President
128 of the Senate, who is a consumer advocate and has been diagnosed
129 with prostate cancer.
130 8. One person, appointed by the Speaker of the House of
131 Representatives, who is a scientist or clinician from a
132 community practice and is a known expert in prostate cancer
133 care, research, or education.
134 9. One person from the public, appointed by the Speaker of
135 the House of Representatives, who is a consumer advocate and has
136 been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
137
138 At least one appointee by the Governor, at least one appointee
139 by the President of the Senate, and at least one appointee by
140 the Speaker of the House of Representatives must be a member of
141 an ethnic or racial minority group.
142 (b) Members shall serve without compensation but are
143 entitled to reimbursement, pursuant to s. 112.061, for per diem
144 and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
145 official duties.
146 (c) Each member of the task force shall be appointed to a
147 4-year term; however, for the purpose of providing staggered
148 terms, of the initial appointments, four members shall be
149 appointed to 2-year terms and four members shall be appointed to
150 4-year terms with the remaining seat being filled by the UFPDC
151 executive director or his or her designee.
152 (d) At the first meeting of the task force each year, the
153 members shall elect a chair and a vice chair. A vacancy in the
154 office of chair or vice chair shall be filled by vote of the
155 remaining members. The task force shall meet biannually and at
156 other times at the call of the UFPDC executive director or a
157 majority of the task force members. Five of the members of the
158 task force constitute a quorum, and an affirmative vote of a
159 majority of the members present is required for final action.
160 (e) The UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force shall:
161 1. Present policy recommendations related to prostate
162 cancer to the Department of Health and other appropriate
163 governmental entities.
164 2. Verify the accuracy of prostate cancer information
165 disseminated to the public.
166 3. Develop effective communication channels among all
167 private and public entities across the state which are involved
168 in prostate cancer education, research, treatment, and patient
169 advocacy.
170 4. Plan, develop, and implement activities designed to
171 heighten awareness and educate residents of this state,
172 especially those residents in underserved areas, regarding the
173 importance of early detection and effective treatment options
174 for prostate cancer.
175 5. Develop effective communication channels to various
176 stakeholders within and across the state.
177 6. Disseminate information on recent progress in prostate
178 cancer research and the availability of clinical trials.
179 7. Minimize health disparities through outreach, education,
180 and early detection initiatives.
181 8. Communicate best-practice principles to physicians
182 involved in the care of patients suffering from prostate cancer.
183 9. Establish a communication platform for patients and
184 their advocates.
185 10. Conduct an annual prostate cancer symposium that brings
186 physicians, researchers, community leaders, prostate cancer
187 survivors, and prostate cancer advocates together to highlight
188 recent advances in prostate cancer research, clinical trials,
189 and best practices in the prevention of the disease, and to
190 promote strategies for successful rural and urban outreach,
191 community education, and increased awareness.
192 11. Submit and present an annual report to the Governor,
193 the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
194 Representatives, and the State Surgeon General by January 15,
195 2011, and by January 15 each following year, which contains
196 recommendations for legislative changes necessary to decrease
197 the incidence of prostate cancer, decrease the racial and ethnic
198 disparities, and promote increased community education and
199 awareness.
200 (4) The program shall coordinate its efforts with those of
201 the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc.
202 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.