Florida Senate - 2021 CS for SB 404
By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senator Rouson
588-02374-21 2021404c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Office of Minority Health and
3 Health Equity; creating s. 381.735, F.S.; requiring
4 the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity to
5 develop and promote the statewide implementation of
6 certain policies, programs, and practices; requiring
7 one representative from each county health department
8 to serve as a minority health liaison for a specified
9 purpose; requiring the office to use all available
10 resources and pursue funding opportunities to achieve
11 this purpose; specifying duties for the office;
12 requiring the Department of Health to maintain
13 specified information on its website; requiring the
14 office to serve as a liaison to and assist certain
15 federal offices; authorizing the department to adopt
16 rules; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 381.735, Florida Statutes, is created to
21 read:
22 381.735 Office of Minority Health and Health Equity.—
23 (1) The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
24 established under s. 20.43(9) shall develop and promote the
25 statewide implementation of policies, programs, and practices
26 that increase health equity in this state, including, but not
27 limited to, increased access to and quality of health care
28 services for racial and ethnic minority populations. One
29 representative from each county health department shall serve as
30 a minority health liaison to assist the office in implementing
31 this section. The office shall use all available resources and
32 pursue opportunities for increased funding to achieve the
33 purpose of this section.
34 (2) The office shall coordinate with agencies,
35 organizations, and providers across this state to do all of the
36 following:
37 (a) Gather and analyze data regarding disparities in health
38 status, health outcomes, quality of health care, and access to
39 health care services for racial and ethnic minority populations
40 in this state.
41 (b) Develop mechanisms that support better information
42 dissemination and education about health disparities which lead
43 to improved access to and delivery of health care services for
44 racial and ethnic minority populations in this state.
45 (c) Support minority health liaisons by facilitating access
46 to and the exchange of information related to health promotion,
47 preventive health services, and education in the appropriate use
48 of care.
49 (d) Develop and promote synergistic initiatives between
50 programs, including, but not limited to, programs related to
51 maternal and child health and human immunodeficiency virus and
52 acquired immune deficiency syndrome, to mitigate health
53 disparities for racial and ethnic minority populations in this
54 state.
55 (e) Promote evaluations of demonstration projects and
56 disseminate the evaluation findings to enhance the success and
57 sustainability of policies, programs, and practices that
58 increase health equity in this state.
59 (f) Promote the use of community health workers to improve
60 the cultural competency of services and build individual and
61 community self-sufficiency.
62 (g) Promote the development of programs that improve access
63 to health care services for individuals with limited proficiency
64 in the English language, including persons with disabilities.
65 (3) The department shall maintain all of the following on
66 its website, updated at least annually:
67 (a) Current data on health disparities and issues affecting
68 racial and ethnic minority populations in this state.
69 (b) Information about and links to resources available to
70 racial and ethnic minority populations in this state.
71 (c) Resources for providers who wish to improve cultural
72 competency, understand health disparities, and increase the
73 quality of and access to health care services for racial and
74 ethnic minority populations in this state. These resources must
75 include, but need not be limited to, minority health literature,
76 research, and referrals; capacity-building and technical
77 assistance services; and training materials for implementing
78 nationally recognized evidence-based practices for culturally
79 and linguistically appropriate health care services.
80 (d) Contact information for local minority health liaisons.
81 (4) The office shall serve as a liaison to and assist the
82 federal Offices of Minority Health and Regional Health
83 Operations, as appropriate.
84 (5) The department may adopt rules to implement this
85 section.
86 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.