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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.4033 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:20010426 Primary Sponsor:Allison All Sponsors:Allison and Cobb-Hunter Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\nbd\11236ac01.doc Residing Body:House Current Committee:Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee 27 H3M Subject:Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the Gap Grant Program, Medical, Discrimination, DHEC History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ House 20010426 Introduced, read first time, 27 H3M referred to Committee Versions of This Bill
TO AMEND TITLE 44, CHAPTER 33, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SICKLE CELL ANEMIA, BY ADDING ARTICLE 1, SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE REDUCING RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES: CLOSING THE GAP GRANT PROGRAM, TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL WHICH PROVIDES FUNDING THROUGH GRANTS TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC POPULATIONS; TO ESTABLISH THE CLOSING THE GAP COMMITTEE TO APPROVE GRANTS AND DISTRIBUTE FUNDING AND TO PROVIDE FOR ITS MEMBERSHIP AND ADDITIONAL DUTIES; TO ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND PRIORITIES FOR GRANT PROPOSALS AND GUIDELINES FOR ISSUING AND REVIEWING GRANTS; TO CHANGE THE NAME OF CHAPTER 33, TITLE 44 TO "RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH"; AND TO REDESIGNATE SECTION 44-33-10 AS SECTION 44-33-310 AND TO DESIGNATE THAT SECTION AS ARTICLE 3, CHAPTER 33 ENTITLED "SICKLE CELL ANEMIA".
Whereas, South Carolina continues to rank below national averages in many health indicators; and
Whereas, our minority population has significantly poorer health outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic whites for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and HIV/AIDS; and
Whereas, local solutions to healthcare problems can have a dramatic and positive effect on the health outcomes for minority populations; and
Whereas, local communities can play a significant role in identifying health education, health promotion, and disease prevention needs of the racial and ethnic populations in their communities, mobilizing community interests and organizations to address health disparities, and enlisting and organizing local public and private resources and faith-based organizations to address these disparities; and
Whereas, there must be coordination of existing programs to avoid duplication of effort and to promote consistency; and
Whereas, several initiatives to address comparable disparities in South Carolina have been initiated by the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina School of Public Health, the South Carolina State University, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Palmetto Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association, the South Carolina Urban League, and other public and private partners; and
Whereas, and accordingly, resources and expertise must be coordinated to the maximum extent possible to close the gap and eliminate health disparities in South Carolina by establishing the Closing the Gap Grant Program in accordance with the provisions of this act.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 33, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 44-33-10. There is created the Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the Gap Grant Program to provide funds to South Carolina communities to stimulate the development of community-based and neighborhood-based projects to improve health outcomes of racial and ethnic populations. These programs shall foster the development of coordinated, collaborative, and broad-based participation by public entities, private entities, and faith-based organizations. The grant program shall function as a partnership among state and local governments, faith-based organizations, the private sector, healthcare providers, and nontraditional partners.
Section 44-33-20. (A) The Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Closing the Gap Grant Program must be administered by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The Department of Health and Environmental Control may accept gifts, bequests, contributions, donations, and grant monies and make these funds available for distribution in accordance with this article.
(B) The department shall:
(1) coordinate the resources and expertise of the State to the maximum extent possible to reduce or eliminate health disparities;
(2) publicize the availability of funds and establish an application, selection, accountability, and termination process for submitting grant proposals and receiving funds;
(3) provide technical assistance and training to grant recipients, including a statewide annual meeting to promote best practice programs;
(4) develop and implement uniform data reporting requirements to evaluate the performance of grant recipients and demonstrate improved health outcomes;
(5) develop and implement a monitoring process to evaluate progress toward meeting grant objectives;
(6) coordinate with existing community-based programs, such as chronic disease community intervention programs, cancer prevention and control programs, diabetes control programs, HIV/AIDS programs, and other related programs at the state and local levels.
Section 44-33-30. (A) The Closing the Gap Committee is created and is composed of:
(1) the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, or a designee;
(2) the President of the Medical University of South Carolina, or a designee;
(3) the President of the South Carolina State University, or a designee;
(4) the Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Public Health, or a designee;
(5) a representative of the South Carolina Urban League; and
(6) a representative of the Palmetto Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association.
(B) The committee is the final authority for approving grant awards and distributing grant monies in accordance with this article. It is the responsibility of the entities represented on the committee to assure that resources and expertise are coordinated to the maximum extent possible to reduce or eliminate health disparities. To further the grant approval and distribution process, each entity represented on the committee shall allocate funds in equal shares to finance the administration of the program pursuant to this article.
Section 44-33-40. (A) A person, entity, or organization that has an established record of service to a racial/ethnic minority community within a county may apply for a Closing the Gap grant and may serve as the lead entity to administer and coordinate project activities and develop community partnerships necessary to implement grant activities.
(B) Nothing in this article may prevent a person, entity, or organization within a county or group of counties from contracting for the provision of health promotion, health awareness, and disease prevention services targeting race and ethnicity factors.
Section 44-33-50. (A) Closing the Gap grant proposals must be submitted to the Department of Health and Environmental Control and must include:
(1) the purpose and objectives of the proposal, including identification of the particular racial or ethnic disparity the project will address. The proposal must address one or more of the following priority areas:
(a) decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality rates relating to HIV/AIDS;
(b) decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality rates relating to diabetes;
(c) decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality rates relating to cardiovascular disease and stroke;
(d) decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality rates relating to prostate, breast, and cervical cancer;
(2) methods by which the entity will demonstrate improvements, through specific outcomes and outcome measures, in one or more of the following health indicators: diabetes, HIV/AIDS, prostate, breast, and cervical cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease;
(3) identification and relevance of the target population;
(4) methods for obtaining baseline health status data and assessment of community health needs;
(5) mechanisms for mobilizing community resources and gaining local commitment;
(6) development and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention interventions;
(7) mechanisms and strategies for evaluating the project's objectives, procedures, and outcomes;
(8) a proposed work plan, including a timeline for implementing the project;
(9) likelihood that project activities will impact racial and ethnic health status disparities;
(10) likelihood that project activities will occur in the absence of funding.
(B) Priority must be given to proposals that:
(1) represent areas with the greatest documented racial and ethnic health status disparities;
(2) demonstrate broad-based local support and commitment from entities representing racial and ethnic populations, including non-Hispanic whites. Indicators of support and commitment may include, but are not limited to, agreements to participate in the program, letters of endorsement, letters of commitment, interagency agreements, or other forms of support;
(3) demonstrate a high degree of participation by the healthcare community in clinical preventive service activities and community-based health promotion and disease prevention interventions;
(4) demonstrate a coordinated community approach to addressing racial and ethnic health issues with existing publicly financed healthcare programs;
(5) incorporate intervention mechanisms that have a high probability of improving the targeted population's health status.
Section 44-33-60. (A) Grants must be awarded in geographic areas where there exists the greatest documented need and the rates of disparities are greatest in the specific diseases as outlined in this article.
(B) Dissemination of grant awards must begin no later than January 1, 2002, based on available funding.
(C) A Closing the Gap grant must be funded for two years and may be renewed every two years thereafter upon application to and approval by the Closing the Gap Committee, subject to the achievement of quality standards, objectives, and performance outcomes, and availability of funds."
SECTION 2. The title to Chapter 33, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is renamed "Racial and Ethnic Health". Section 44-33-10 of the 1976 Code is redesignated 44-33-310 and is designated as Article 3, Chapter 33, Title 44 of the 1976 Code, entitled "Sickle Cell Anemia".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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