HB 0417 2003
1	CHAMBER ACTION
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6	The Committee on Health Care recommends the following:
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8	Committee Substitute
9	Remove the entire bill and insert:
10	A bill to be entitled
11	An act relating to human immunodeficiency virus; amending
12	s. 381.0046, F.S.; increasing the number of HIV and AIDS
13	minority coordinators within the Department of Health;
14	requiring the department to expand its HIV/AIDS prevention
15	efforts in Florida's minority communities and establish
16	linkage programs for HIV-positive inmates prior to their
17	release from county jail or state prison; deleting
18	obsolete provisions; providing an effective date.
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20	WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS is one of the state's most critical
21	public health challenges, with Florida having the third highest
22	number of AIDS cases in the nation and the second highest number
23	of pediatric AIDS cases, and
24	WHEREAS, minorities, primarily blacks and Hispanics, now
25	constitute 61 percent of the more than 83,000 adult and
26	pediatric AIDS cases reported in Florida since the epidemic
27	began in 1981, and
28	WHEREAS, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has disproportionately
29	affected Florida's minority communities, and
30	WHEREAS, the total medical and related lifetime costs for a
31	patient infected with HIV may reach $175,000 or more, and
32	WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that sustained,
33	comprehensive prevention efforts can have a substantial impact
34	on slowing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and
35	WHEREAS, the Legislature intends to decrease the number of
36	deaths of minorities due to HIV/AIDS by increasing public
37	awareness, increasing early detection and treatment of HIV/AIDS
38	in the state's minority communities, and increasing the
39	coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts in the
40	state's minority communities, and
41	WHEREAS, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state's county
42	jails and state prisons exceeds the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in
43	the general population, and
44	WHEREAS, recent advances in treatment for HIV/AIDS can
45	potentially reduce the number of opportunistic infections and
46	associated medical costs and delay the onset of death due to the
47	disease, and
48	WHEREAS, referral to appropriate medical and social
49	services upon the release of an inmate can play a crucial role
50	in treatment, care, and secondary prevention efforts, and
51	WHEREAS, the Legislature authorized the creation of the
52	Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force to provide recommendations on
53	strategies to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, early
54	intervention, and treatment efforts in Florida's minority
55	communities, NOW, THEREFORE,
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57	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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59	Section 1. Section 381.0046, Florida Statutes, is amended
60	to read:
61	381.0046 Statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign.--
62	(1) The Department of Health shall develop and implement a
63	statewide HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that is directed
64	towards minorities who are at risk of HIV infection. The
65	campaign shall include television, radio, and outdoor
66	advertising; public service announcements; and peer-to-peer
67	outreach. Each campaign message and concept shall be evaluated
68	with members of the target group to ensure its effectiveness.
69	The campaign shall provide information on the risk of HIV and
70	AIDS infection and strategies to follow for prevention, early
71	detection, and treatment. The campaign shall use culturally
72	sensitive literature and educational materials and promote the
73	development of individual skills for behavior modification. The
74	campaign shall be expanded to include prevention information
75	specifically targeted to Florida's Hispanic and Haitian
76	communities.
77	(2) The Department of Health shall establish eightfour
78	positions within the department for HIV and AIDS regional
79	minority coordinators and one position for a statewide HIV and
80	AIDS minority coordinator. The coordinators shall facilitate
81	statewide efforts to implement and coordinate HIV and AIDS
82	prevention and treatment programs. The statewide coordinator
83	shall report directly to the chief of the Bureau of HIV and AIDS
84	within the Department of Health.
85	(3) The Department of Health shall provide HIV/AIDS
86	outreach programs in Florida's minority communities to identify
87	persons infected with HIV/AIDS. These programs shall address
88	real and perceived barriers to HIV testing among Florida's
89	minority populations.The Department of Health shall, with
90	assistance from the Minority HIV and AIDS Task Force and the
91	statewide coordinator, plan and conduct a statewide Black
92	Leadership Conference on HIV and AIDS by January 2000. The
93	conference shall provide workshops for minority organizations in
94	building skills and improving an organization's capacity to
95	conduct HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment programs.
96	(4) The department shall provide a program to ensure that
97	HIV-positive persons are linked with prevention, care, and
98	support services. This program shall be provided in a culturally
99	sensitive manner to promote prevention among persons who are HIV
100	positive and increase the acceptance and delivery of care and
101	support services in high-risk communities.
102	(5) The department shall expand testing programs for HIV,
103	sexually transmissible diseases, and hepatitis in local county
104	jails. The department shall establish programs for HIV-positive
105	county jail and state prison inmates to ensure coordination and
106	linkage to treatment and secondary prevention messages upon
107	their release.
108	(6) To promote HIV testing among minority persons who are
109	at risk of infection, the department shall expand its HIV
110	counseling, testing, and referral services to include additional
111	Orasure testing.
112	(7) These minority programs shall be consistent with the
113	findings and recommendations of the Minority HIV and AIDS Task
114	Force, the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Prevention Plan, and the
115	recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and
116	Prevention.
117	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
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