Senate Bill sb0702

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 702

    By Senator Peaden





    2-596-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the area health education

  3         center network; amending s. 381.0402, F.S.;

  4         requiring the Department of Health to cooperate

  5         with specified medical schools in maintaining

  6         and evaluating the network; expanding the

  7         purposes of the network; requiring the

  8         department to contract with the named medical

  9         schools to provide funds to the network;

10         providing that the persons to be served by the

11         network are "medically underserved populations"

12         rather than "low-income people"; requiring that

13         the center assist in linking the provision of

14         primary care services to medically underserved

15         populations with the education of students in

16         the health care professions and of health care

17         providers serving medically underserved

18         populations, as well as that of medical

19         students, interns, and residents; providing an

20         effective date.

21  

22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

23  

24         Section 1.  Section 381.0402, Florida Statutes, is

25  amended to read:

26         381.0402  Area health education center network.--The

27  department, in cooperation with the state state-approved

28  medical schools approved to form an area health education

29  center network in this state, including those at the Florida

30  State University, Nova Southeastern University, the University

31  of Florida, the University of Miami, and the University of

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 702
    2-596-05




 1  South Florida, shall maintain and evaluate organize an area

 2  health education center network focused based on earlier

 3  medically indigent demonstration projects and shall evaluate

 4  the impact of each network on improving access to health

 5  services by persons who are medically underserved.  The

 6  network shall serve as be a catalyst for the primary care

 7  training of health professionals by increasing through

 8  increased opportunities for training in medically underserved

 9  areas, increasing access to primary care services, providing

10  health workforce recruitment, enhancing the quality of health

11  care, and addressing current and emerging public health

12  issues.

13         (1)  The department shall contract with the medical

14  schools designated in subsection (1) to assist in funding the

15  an area health education center network, which links the

16  provision of primary care services to medically underserved

17  populations low-income persons with the education of:

18         (a)  Medical students, interns, and residents.  The

19  network shall:

20         (a)  Be coordinated with and under contract with the

21  state-approved medical schools, which shall be responsible for

22  the clinical training and supervision.

23         1.(b)  Divide the state into service areas with each

24  state-approved medical school coordinating the recruitment

25  recruiting, training, and retention of medical students within

26  its assigned area.

27         (c)  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

28  medical supervision.

29         2.(d)  Use current community resources, such as county

30  health departments, federally funded community or migrant

31  health primary care centers, and or other primary health care

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 702
    2-596-05




 1  providers, as community-based sites for training medical

 2  students, interns, and residents.

 3         3.  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

 4  medical supervision.

 5         (b)  Students in the health care professions. The

 6  network shall:

 7         1.  Facilitate the recruitment, training, and retention

 8  of students in the health care professions within service

 9  areas.

10         2.  Use community resources, such as county health

11  departments, federally funded community or migrant health

12  centers, and other primary health care providers, as sites for

13  training students in the health care professions.

14         3.  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

15  supervision.

16         (c)  Health care providers serving medically

17  underserved populations. The network shall:

18         1.  Assist providers in medically underserved areas and

19  other safety net providers in remaining current in their

20  fields through a variety of community resource initiatives.

21         2.  Strengthen the health care safety net in this state

22  by enhancing services and increasing access to care in

23  medically underserved areas.

24         3.  Provide other services, such as library and

25  information resources, continuing professional education,

26  technical assistance, and other support services, for

27  providers who serve in medically underserved areas.

28         (2)  The department shall establish criteria and

29  procedures for quality assurance, performance evaluations,

30  periodic audits, and other appropriate safeguards for the

31  network.

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 702
    2-596-05




 1         (3)  The department shall make every effort to assure

 2  that the network does participating medical schools do not

 3  discriminate among enrollees with respect to age, race, sex,

 4  or health status. However, the network such schools may target

 5  high-risk medically needy population groups.

 6         (4)  The department may use no more than 5 percent of

 7  the annual appropriation for administering and evaluating the

 8  network.

 9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

10  

11            *****************************************

12                          SENATE SUMMARY

13    Requires the Department of Health to cooperate with
      specified medical schools in maintaining and evaluating
14    the area health education center network. Expands the
      purposes of the network. Specifies that the department
15    shall contract with the named medical schools to provide
      funds to the network. Provides that the persons to be
16    served by the network are "medically underserved
      populations" rather than "low-income people." Provides
17    that the center assist in linking the provision of
      primary care services to medically underserved
18    populations with the education of students in the health
      care professions and of health care providers serving
19    medically underserved populations, as well as that of
      medical students, interns, and residents.
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