Florida Senate - 2016                                    SB 1438
       
       
        
       By Senator Smith
       
       31-01061A-16                                          20161438__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to eye and vision care; amending s.
    3         20.43, F.S.; creating an eye and vision care center
    4         for urban and underserved communities; requiring the
    5         eye and vision care center to coordinate with certain
    6         entities to obtain specified services; amending s.
    7         154.01, F.S.; revising the definition of the term
    8         “primary care services” to add eye and vision care
    9         services; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Present paragraph (c) of subsection (7) of
   14  section 20.43, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
   15  (d), and a new paragraph (c) is added to that subsection, to
   16  read:
   17         20.43 Department of Health.—There is created a Department
   18  of Health.
   19         (7) To protect and improve the public health, the
   20  department may use state or federal funds to:
   21         (c) Establish in the department an eye and vision care
   22  center for urban and underserved communities to improve access
   23  to eye and vision care services within county health
   24  departments. The eye and vision care center shall coordinate
   25  with the Board of Optometry, created under chapter 463, the
   26  Board of Opticianry, created under part I of chapter 484, trade
   27  and charitable organizations, and local vision care specialists
   28  and providers to obtain no-cost or low-cost comprehensive vision
   29  care services, including vision screening, eye examinations,
   30  eyeglasses and contact lenses prescriptions, and corrective
   31  lenses.
   32         Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section
   33  154.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   34         154.01 County health department delivery system.—
   35         (2) A functional system of county health department
   36  services shall be established which shall include the following
   37  three levels of service and be funded as follows:
   38         (c) “Primary care services” are acute care and preventive
   39  services that are made available to well and sick persons who
   40  are unable to obtain such services due to lack of income or
   41  other barriers beyond their control. These services are provided
   42  to benefit individuals, improve the collective health of the
   43  public, and prevent and control the spread of disease. Primary
   44  health care services are provided at home, in group settings, or
   45  in clinics. These services shall be supported by available
   46  federal, state, and local funds and shall include services
   47  mandated on a state or federal level. Examples of primary health
   48  care services include, but are not limited to: first contact
   49  acute care services; chronic disease detection and treatment;
   50  maternal and child health services; family planning; nutrition;
   51  school health; supplemental food assistance for women, infants,
   52  and children; home health; eye and vision care services; and
   53  dental services.
   54         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.