Florida Senate - 2010 SB 1898
By Senator Crist
12-01863-10 20101898__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to chronic obstructive pulmonary
3 disease; creating the “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
4 Disease (COPD) Prevention and Education Act”;
5 providing purposes; requiring the Department of Health
6 to establish a COPD prevention, education, screening,
7 and diagnosis program; requiring the department to
8 coordinate a statewide summit on COPD; providing for
9 the department to employ public awareness strategies
10 regarding COPD; providing powers and duties of the
11 State Surgeon General with respect to securing funding
12 to implement the act; providing an effective date.
13
14 WHEREAS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is
15 currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States
16 and is projected to be the third leading cause of death by 2020,
17 and
18 WHEREAS, the annual cost to the nation for COPD in 2007 was
19 estimated to be approximately $42.6 billion, including $26.7
20 billion for direct health care expenditures, $8 billion for
21 indirect morbidity costs, and $7.9 billion for indirect
22 mortality costs, and
23 WHEREAS, in 2008 COPD affected over 1.5 million individuals
24 in Florida and, according to the United States Centers for
25 Disease Control and Prevention, Florida had 4,436 deaths
26 attributable to COPD in 2005, and
27 WHEREAS, tobacco use is a major risk factor for COPD and
28 was the cause of 89 percent of COPD deaths in 2005, and
29 WHEREAS, since 1992, the highest rate of increase was for
30 individuals between 40 to 49 years of age, and
31 WHEREAS, this disease has a significant impact on the
32 quality of life of the individual who experiences symptoms and
33 the resulting disability and the person’s family members and
34 caregivers, and
35 WHEREAS, in 2007, more than 63,000 individuals were
36 hospitalized for treatment of COPD and asthma, resulting in
37 hospital charges totaling more than $1.3 billion in Florida, and
38 WHEREAS, health care providers are challenged to deliver
39 effective interventions for the prevention and reduction of
40 COPD-related disabilities, and
41 WHEREAS, although public information about COPD and
42 programs that can assist in the early diagnosis and treatment of
43 COPD is available, that information is not widely disseminated
44 to diverse populations, and
45 WHEREAS, the COPD Foundation and the Centers for Disease
46 Control and Prevention are leaders in the development of state
47 and national public health strategies to respond to this
48 challenge, and
49 WHEREAS, educating the public and the health care community
50 throughout the state about this devastating disease is of
51 paramount importance, in the public interest, and for the
52 benefit of all residents of the state, and
53 WHEREAS, on August 12, 2009, the Governor and Cabinet of
54 the State of Florida urged academic, governmental, and advocacy
55 organizations to promote education, increase awareness, improve
56 data surveillance systems, and promote early detection of COPD
57 throughout the state, NOW, THEREFORE,
58
59 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
60
61 Section 1. Short title.—This act may be cited as the
62 “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Prevention and
63 Education Act.”
64 Section 2. Purposes.—The purposes of this act are to:
65 (1) Create and foster a statewide program that promotes
66 public awareness and increases knowledge concerning the causes
67 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the importance
68 of early diagnosis, effective prevention strategies, and disease
69 management.
70 (2) Promote the education of health care professionals
71 regarding COPD.
72 (3) Develop knowledge and enhance understanding of COPD by
73 disseminating educational materials and information on research
74 results, services provided, and strategies of prevention and
75 education to patients, health care professionals, and the
76 public.
77 (4) Establish a solid scientific base of knowledge
78 concerning the prevention of COPD through surveillance,
79 epidemiology, prevention, and research.
80 (5) Use educational and training resources and services
81 developed by organizations with appropriate expertise and
82 knowledge of COPD.
83 (6) Evaluate the need for improving the quality and
84 accessibility of existing community-based COPD services.
85 (7) Address the under-diagnosis of and promote better data
86 surveillance regarding incidences of COPD in the state.
87 (8) Implement and coordinate statewide and local COPD
88 screening and detection programs.
89 (9) Promote programs on smoking cessation.
90 (10) Provide lasting improvement in the quality of life
91 while containing health care costs.
92 Section 3. COPD prevention, education, screening, and
93 diagnosis program.—
94 (1) To the extent that funds are made available
95 specifically for this purpose, the Department of Health shall
96 establish, promote, and maintain a COPD prevention, education,
97 screening, and detection program to raise public awareness,
98 educate consumers, and educate and train health care
99 professionals, teachers, and human services providers as
100 provided in this section.
101 (2) The department shall conduct a needs assessment to
102 identify:
103 (a) National and state epidemiological and other research
104 conducted on COPD.
105 (b) The level of public and professional awareness
106 regarding COPD.
107 (c) The needs of people with COPD and the needs of their
108 families and caregivers.
109 (d) The educational support needed by health care
110 providers, including physicians, nurses, managed care
111 organizations, and other health care providers.
112 (e) The services required by persons with COPD.
113 (f) The existence of COPD screening and detection programs,
114 treatment, and disease management programs.
115 Section 4. Annual statewide summit on COPD.—The department
116 shall coordinate an annual statewide summit on COPD to
117 collaborate on and address COPD issues within the state.
118 Membership shall include, but is not limited to, persons with
119 COPD, public health educators, medical experts on COPD,
120 providers of COPD care, persons knowledgeable in health
121 promotion and education, and representatives of state and
122 national COPD organizations.
123 Section 5. Public awareness strategies.—The department
124 shall use, but is not limited to using, strategies consistent
125 with the state and national COPD action plans and existing state
126 planning efforts to raise public awareness and knowledge on the
127 causes and nature of COPD, personal risk factors, the value of
128 prevention, screening, detection, and early intervention, and
129 options for treating the disease.
130 Section 6. Funding.—
131 (1) The State Surgeon General may accept grants, services,
132 and property from the Federal Government, foundations,
133 organizations, medical schools, and other entities as may be
134 available to implement this act.
135 (2) The State Surgeon General shall seek any federal waiver
136 or waivers that may be necessary to maximize funds from the
137 Federal Government to implement this act.
138 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.