Florida Senate - 2011 SB 122
By Senator Bullard
39-00115-11 2011122__
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”; providing legislative findings;
5 defining terms; requiring the State Surgeon General to
6 implement a public health awareness and education
7 campaign in order to provide information that is
8 focused on decreasing the risk factors for sudden
9 unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained death
10 in childhood; requiring the State Surgeon General to
11 conduct a needs assessment of the availability of
12 personnel, training, technical assistance, and
13 resources for investigating and determining the causes
14 of sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
15 unexplained death in childhood; requiring the State
16 Surgeon General to develop guidelines for increasing
17 collaboration in the investigation of stillbirth,
18 sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained
19 death in childhood; specifying the duties of the State
20 Surgeon General related 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 stillbirth, sudden unexpected
24 infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
25 childhood and how to prevent them; providing for the
26 membership of the task force; providing for
27 reimbursement of per diem and travel expenses;
28 requiring that the State Surgeon General submit a
29 report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
30 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by a
31 specified date; providing an effective date.
32
33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35 Section 1. (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as
36 the “Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness Act.”
37 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—
38 (a) The Legislature finds that every year there are more
39 than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States. The common
40 diagnosable causes of stillbirth include genetic abnormalities,
41 umbilical cord accidents, infections, and placental problems.
42 Risk factors for stillbirth include maternal age, obesity,
43 smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. Because of advances in
44 medical care over the last 30 years, much more is known about
45 the causes of stillbirth. Still, the cause of death is never
46 identified in up to 50 percent of stillbirths.
47 (b) The rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has
48 declined significantly since the early 1990s; however, research
49 has found that the decline in SIDS since 1999 has been offset by
50 an increase in sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Many
51 sudden unexpected infant deaths are not investigated and, in
52 those that are investigated, cause-of-death data are not
53 consistently collected and reported. Inaccurate or inconsistent
54 classification of the cause and manner of death impedes
55 prevention efforts and complicates the ability to understand
56 related risk factors. The National Child Death Review Case
57 Reporting System collects comprehensive information on the risk
58 factors associated with SUID. As of March 2009, 29 of the 49
59 states conducting child death reviews were voluntarily
60 submitting data to this reporting system.
61 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
62 (a) “Stillbirth” means an unintended, intrauterine fetal
63 death after a gestational age of not less than 20 completed
64 weeks.
65 (b) “Sudden infant death syndrome” or “SIDS” means the
66 sudden unexpected death of an infant younger than 1 year of age
67 which remains unexplained after a complete autopsy, death-scene
68 investigation, and review of the case history. The term includes
69 only those deaths for which, currently, there is no known cause
70 or cure.
71 (c) “Sudden unexpected infant death” or “SUID” means the
72 sudden death of an infant younger than 1 year of age which, when
73 first discovered, does not have an obvious cause. The term
74 includes those deaths that are later determined to be from
75 explained as well as unexplained causes.
76 (d) “Sudden unexplained death in childhood or “SUDC” means
77 the sudden death of a child older than 1 year of age which
78 remains unexplained after a thorough investigation, including a
79 review of the clinical history and circumstances of death and
80 performance of a complete autopsy, along with appropriate
81 ancillary testing.
82 (4) PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.—
83 (a) The State Surgeon General shall establish and implement
84 a culturally appropriate public health awareness and education
85 campaign to provide information that is focused on decreasing
86 the risk factors for sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
87 unexplained death in childhood, including educating individuals
88 on safe sleep environments, sleep positions, and reducing
89 exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy and after the child’s
90 birth.
91 (b) The campaign shall be designed to reduce health
92 disparities among racial and ethnic groups through focusing on
93 populations that have high rates of sudden unexpected infant
94 death and sudden unexplained death in childhood.
95 (c) When establishing and implementing the campaign, the
96 State Surgeon General shall consult with state and national
97 organizations that represent health care providers, including
98 nurses and physicians; parents; child care providers; children’s
99 advocacy and safety organizations; maternal and child health
100 programs; nutrition professionals who specialize in women,
101 infants, and children; and other individuals and groups
102 determined necessary by the State Surgeon General.
103 (5) EVALUATION OF STATE NEEDS.—
104 (a) The State Surgeon General shall conduct a needs
105 assessment of the availability in this state of personnel,
106 training, technical assistance, and resources for investigating
107 and determining the causes of sudden unexpected infant death and
108 sudden unexplained death in childhood and make recommendations
109 to increase collaboration in conducting investigations and
110 making determinations.
111 (b) The State Surgeon General, in consultation with
112 physicians, nurses, pathologists, geneticists, parents, and
113 others, shall develop guidelines for increasing the performance
114 of, and the collection of data from, postmortem stillbirth
115 evaluations, postmortem SUID evaluations, and postmorten SUDC
116 evaluations, including conducting and providing reimbursement
117 for autopsies, placental histopathlogy, and cytogentic testing.
118 The guidelines shall take into account culturally appropriate
119 issues related to postmortem stillbirth evaluations, postmortem
120 SUID evaluations, and postmorten SUDC evaluations.
121 (c) The State Surgeon General, acting in consultation with
122 health care providers, public health organizations, maternal and
123 child health programs, parents, and others, shall:
124 1.a. Develop behavioral surveys for women who experience
125 stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, or sudden
126 unexplained death in childhood using existing state-based
127 infrastructure for gathering pregnancy-related information; and
128 b. Increase the technical assistance provided to local
129 communities to enhance the capacity for improved investigation
130 of medical and social factors surrounding stillbirth, sudden
131 unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
132 childhood.
133 2. Directly or through cooperative agreements, develop and
134 conduct evidence-based public education and prevention programs
135 directed at reducing the overall occurrence of stillbirth,
136 sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
137 childhood and addressing the disparities in such occurrences
138 among racial and ethnic groups. These efforts shall include:
139 a. Public education programs, services, and demonstrations
140 that are designed to increase general awareness of stillbirth,
141 sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
142 childhood; and
143 b. The development of tools for educating health
144 professionals and women concerning the known risks factors for
145 stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden
146 unexplained death in childhood; the promotion of fetal-movement
147 awareness and taking proactive steps to monitor a baby’s
148 movement beginning at approximately 28 weeks into the pregnancy;
149 and the importance of early and regular prenatal care to monitor
150 the health and development of the fetus up to and during
151 delivery.
152 (d) By September 1, 2011, the State Surgeon General shall
153 establish a task force to develop a research plan to determine
154 the causes of stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and
155 sudden unexplained death in childhood and how to prevent them.
156 The State Surgeon General shall appoint the task force, which
157 shall consist of 12 members, as follows:
158 1. Three persons who are pediatric health care providers.
159 2. Three persons who are scientists or clinicians and
160 selected from public universities or research organizations.
161 3. Three persons who are employed in maternal and child
162 health programs.
163 4. Three parents.
164
165 Members shall serve without compensation, but are entitled to
166 reimbursement pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for per
167 diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
168 official duties.
169 (6) REPORT.—By October 1, 2013, the State Surgeon General
170 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
171 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report describing
172 the progress made in implementing this section.
173 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.