Florida Senate - 2010 SB 732
By Senator Bullard
39-00741-10 2010732__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to sudden unexpected infant death;
3 creating the “Stillbirth and SUID Education and
4 Awareness Act”; defining terms; providing legislative
5 findings; requiring the State Surgeon General to
6 prepare and implement a public health awareness and
7 education campaign in order to provide information
8 that is focused on decreasing the risk factors for
9 sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained
10 death in childhood; requiring the State Surgeon
11 General to conduct a needs assessment of the state for
12 the availability of personnel, training, technical
13 assistance, and resources for investigating and
14 determining sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
15 unexplained death in childhood; requiring the
16 Department of Health to make recommendations for
17 increasing collaboration in the investigation and
18 determination of sudden unexplained death in
19 childhood; specifying the duties of the State Surgeon
20 General relating to maternal and child health
21 programs; requiring the State Surgeon General to
22 establish a task force to develop a research plan to
23 determine the causes of, and how to prevent,
24 stillbirth in children; providing for the membership
25 of the task force; providing for reimbursement of
26 travel expenses; requiring that the department submit
27 a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
28 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by a
29 specified date; providing an effective date.
30
31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32
33 Section 1. (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as
34 the “Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness Act.”
35 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds that every
36 year, there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United
37 States. The common diagnosable causes for stillbirth include
38 genetic abnormalities, umbilical cord accidents, infections, and
39 placental problems. A number of risk factors for stillbirth have
40 been described in pregnant women such as maternal age, obesity,
41 smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. Because of advances in
42 medical care over the last 30 years, much more is known about
43 the causes of stillbirth. But for as many as 50 percent of
44 stillbirths, the cause is never identified. The rate of sudden
45 infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been declining significantly
46 since the early 1990s; however, research has found that the
47 decline in SIDS since 1999 can be explained by increasing
48 numbers of sudden unexpected infant death. Many sudden
49 unexpected infant deaths are not investigated and, even when
50 they are, cause-of-death data are not collected and reported
51 consistently. Inaccurate or inconsistent classification of the
52 cause and manner of death impedes prevention efforts and
53 complicates the ability to understand risk factors related to
54 these deaths. The National Child Death Review Case Reporting
55 System collects comprehensive information on the risk factors
56 associated with SUID deaths. As of March 2009, 29 of the 49
57 states conducting child death reviews are voluntarily submitting
58 data to this reporting system.
59 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
60 (a) “Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)” means the
61 sudden death of an infant younger than 1 year of age which, when
62 first discovered, does not have an obvious cause. The term
63 includes those deaths that are later determined to be from
64 explained as well as unexplained causes.
65 (b) “Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC)” means
66 the sudden death of a child older than 1 year of age which
67 remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation,
68 including a review of the clinical history and circumstances of
69 death, and performance of a complete autopsy along with
70 appropriate ancillary testing.
71 (4) PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.—
72 (a) The State Surgeon General shall establish and implement
73 a culturally appropriate public health awareness and education
74 campaign to provide information that is focused on decreasing
75 the risk factors for sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
76 unexplained death in childhood, including educating individuals
77 about safe sleep environments, sleep positions, and reducing
78 exposure to smoking during pregnancy and after the child’s
79 birth.
80 (b) The campaign shall be designed to reduce health
81 disparities through focusing on populations that have high rates
82 of sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained death
83 in childhood.
84 (c) When establishing and implementing the campaign, the
85 State Surgeon General shall consult with state and national
86 organizations representing health care providers, including
87 nurses and physicians; parents; child care providers; children’s
88 advocacy and safety organizations; maternal and child health
89 programs; women’s, infants, and children nutrition
90 professionals; and other individuals and groups determined
91 necessary by the State Surgeon General.
92 (5) EVALUATION OF STATE NEEDS.—
93 (a) The State Surgeon General shall conduct a needs
94 assessment in this state of the availability of personnel,
95 training, technical assistance, and resources for investigating
96 and determining sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
97 unexplained death in childhood and make recommendations to
98 increase collaboration for investigation and making
99 determinations.
100 (b) The State Surgeon General, in consultation with
101 physicians, nurses, pathologists, geneticists, parents, and
102 other groups, shall develop guidelines for increasing the
103 performance and data collection of postmortem stillbirth
104 evaluation, including conducting and providing reimbursement for
105 autopsies, placental histopathlogy, and cytogentic testing. The
106 guidelines should take into account culturally appropriate
107 issues related to postmortem stillbirth evaluation.
108 (c) The State Surgeon General, acting in consultation with
109 health care providers, public health organizations, maternal and
110 child health programs, parents, and other groups, shall:
111 1.a. Develop behavioral surveys for women experiencing
112 stillbirth, using existing state-based infrastructure for
113 gathering pregnancy-related information; and
114 b. Increase the technical assistance provided to local
115 communities to enhance the capacity for improved investigation
116 of medical and social factors surrounding stillbirth events.
117 2. Directly or through cooperative agreements, develop and
118 conduct evidence-based public education and prevention programs
119 directed at reducing the occurrence of stillbirths overall and
120 addressing the racial and ethnic disparities in its occurrence.
121 The efforts shall include:
122 a. Public education programs, services, and demonstrations
123 that are designed to increase general awareness of stillbirths;
124 and
125 b. The development of tools for educating health
126 professionals and women concerning the known risks factors for
127 stillbirth, the promotion of fetal-movement awareness and taking
128 proactive steps to monitor a baby’s movement beginning at
129 approximately 28 weeks into the pregnancy, and the importance of
130 early and regular prenatal care to monitor the health and
131 development of the fetus up to and during delivery.
132 (d) By September 1, 2010, the State Surgeon General shall
133 establish a task force to develop a research plan to determine
134 the causes of and how to prevent stillbirth. The State Surgeon
135 General shall appoint the task force, which shall consist of 12
136 members, as follows:
137 1. Three persons who are pediatric health care providers.
138 2. Three persons who are scientists or clinicians and
139 selected from public universities or research organizations.
140 3. Three persons who are employed in maternal and child
141 health programs.
142 4. Three parents.
143
144 Members shall serve without compensation, but are entitled to
145 reimbursement pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for per
146 diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
147 official duties.
148 (6) REPORT.—By October 1, 2012, the State Surgeon General
149 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
150 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report describing
151 the progress made in implementing this section.
152 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.