As Introduced

128th General Assembly
Regular Session
2009-2010
H. B. No. 105


Representative Williams, S. 

Cosponsors: Representatives Boyd, Mallory, Dyer, Amstutz, Brown, Yuko, Skindell, DeBose, Letson, Chandler, Patten, Slesnick, Evans, Fende, Luckie, Harwood, Murray, Miller 



A BILL
To enact sections 3701.781, 3701.782, 3701.783, 1
3701.784, 3701.785, and 3701.786 of the Revised 2
Code to create the Lupus Education and Awareness 3
Program and to make an appropriation.4


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1. That sections 3701.781, 3701.782, 3701.783, 5
3701.784, 3701.785, and 3701.786 of the Revised Code be enacted to 6
read as follows:7

       Sec. 3701.781. (A) The commission on minority health shall 8
establish, promote, and maintain a lupus education and awareness 9
program with an emphasis on minority populations and at-risk 10
communities to raise public awareness, educate consumers, and 11
educate and train health professionals, human services providers, 12
and other audiences.13

       (B) The commission, in creating and implementing the program, 14
shall do all of the following:15

       (1) Provide sufficient staff and appropriate training to 16
implement the program;17

       (2) Establish a grant program to support nonprofit voluntary 18
health organizations with expertise in lupus to increase public 19
awareness and enhance health professional education and 20
understanding of the symptoms and consequences of lupus and the 21
populations most at risk;22

       (3) Establish an intergovernmental council and advisory panel 23
to oversee the implementation of the program;24

       (4) Identify the appropriate entities to carry out the 25
program;26

       (5) Base the program on the most current scientific 27
information and findings;28

       (6) Work with government entities, community and business 29
leaders, community organizations, health and human services 30
providers, and national, state, and local lupus organizations, 31
such as the lupus foundation of America, inc., to coordinate 32
efforts to maximize state resources in the areas of lupus 33
education and awareness;34

       (7) Identify and use other successful lupus education and 35
awareness programs and procure related materials and services from 36
organizations with appropriate expertise and knowledge of lupus.37

       (C) The commission may accept gifts, grants, and donations 38
from the federal government, foundations, organizations, medical 39
schools, and other entities for fulfilling the obligations of the 40
program. Any funds shall supplement and not supplant 41
appropriations provided for the implementation of the program.42

       (D) The commission shall seek any federal waiver that may be 43
necessary to maximize funds from the federal government to 44
implement the program.45

       Sec. 3701.782. (A)(1) The commission on minority health shall 46
conduct a needs assessment to identify all of the following:47

       (a) The level of statewide health professional and public48
awareness about lupus;49

       (b) The existence of lupus education, awareness, and 50
treatment programs and related technical assistance available in 51
the state and nationwide;52

       (c) The lupus-related educational and support service needs 53
of health care providers in the state, including physicians, 54
nurses, health plans, and other health professionals and health 55
care entities;56

       (d) The needs of people with lupus, their families, and 57
caregivers, including health care providers, physicians, nurses, 58
health care plans, and other health professionals and health care 59
entities;60

       (e) The services available to individuals with lupus, 61
including the existence and availability of lupus treatment and 62
specialty care, lupus support groups, and other related care and 63
management services.64

       (2) Based on the needs assessment, the commission shall 65
develop and maintain a directory of lupus-related services and 66
health care providers with specialization in services to diagnose 67
and treat lupus. The commission shall disseminate the directory 68
to all stakeholders, including individuals with lupus, families, 69
representatives from voluntary organizations, health 70
professionals, health plans, and state and local health agencies.71

       (B) The commission shall undertake activities to raise public 72
awareness about the symptoms of lupus, personal risk factors, and 73
options for diagnosing and treating the disease with a particular 74
focus on populations at elevated risk for lupus, including women 75
and communities of color. Such activities shall include but not be 76
limited to the following:77

       (1) Implementing a statewide campaign to educate the general 78
public about lupus by utilizing print, radio, and television 79
public service announcements, advertisements, posters, and other 80
materials;81

       (2) Disseminating health information and conducting 82
individual risk assessments at public events, such as health fairs 83
and community forums sponsored by the Ohio department of health;84

       (3) Distributing information through local health 85
departments; schools; area agencies on aging; employer wellness 86
programs; physicians and other health professionals; hospitals and 87
health plans; women's, health, nonprofit, and community-based 88
organizations; and regional offices of the Ohio department of 89
health.90

       Sec. 3701.783. (A) The commission on minority health shall 91
establish a program to award grants to educate and train 92
physicians, health professionals, and other service providers on 93
the most current, accurate scientific and medical information on 94
lupus diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decision-making, 95
including medical best practices for detecting and treating the 96
disease in special populations, risks and benefits of 97
medications, and research advances. In awarding grants, the 98
commission shall allocate the total amount available for the 99
grants in amounts that are proportionate to the populations of 100
the areas served by the Ohio chapters of the lupus foundation of 101
America, inc.102

        To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must be affiliated 103
with the foundation.104

       (B) Each grant recipient shall do all of the following:105

       (1) Develop health professional educational materials that 106
identify the latest scientific and medical information and 107
clinical applications;108

       (2) Work to increase knowledge among physicians, nurses, and 109
health and human services professionals about the importance of 110
lupus diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation;111

       (3) Use available curricula for training of health and human 112
services providers and community leaders on lupus detection and 113
treatment;114

       (4) Support continuing medical education programs in all 115
geographical areas in the state presented by the leading state 116
academic institutions by providing the most current information;117

       (5) Provide workshops and seminars for in-depth professional 118
development in the field of care and management of lupus patients 119
to bring the latest information on clinical advances to care 120
providers;121

       (6) Conduct statewide conferences on lupus at appropriate 122
intervals;123

       (7) Prepare an annual report that describes the recipient's 124
use of the grant and submit a copy of the report to the 125
commission.126

       Sec. 3701.784. (A) In establishing the intergovernmental 127
council as required by division (B)(3) of section 3701.781 of the 128
Revised Code, the commission on minority health shall seek to 129
ensure coordination of lupus education and awareness efforts and 130
efforts to address health conditions disproportionately 131
affecting women and people of color. The chairperson of the 132
commission shall serve as the council's chairperson. The council 133
shall include representatives from appropriate state departments 134
and agencies, including entities with responsibility for health 135
disparities, medicaid, public health programs, education, public 136
welfare, and women's health programs.137

       (B) The council shall do all of the following:138

       (1) Provide oversight to the lupus education and awareness 139
program, as well as other lupus programs conducted by the 140
commission;141

       (2) Develop and issue grant applications and policies and 142
procedures for programs aimed at health professionals and the 143
public;144

       (3) Establish a mechanism for sharing information on lupus 145
among all officials and employees involved in carrying out 146
lupus-related programs;147

       (4) Assist the commission and other offices in developing and 148
coordinating plans for education and health promotion on lupus and 149
ensure that issues related to lupus are integrated into other 150
statewide plans;151

       (5) Prepare an annual report that describes educational 152
initiatives on lupus sponsored by the state and make 153
recommendations for new educational initiatives on lupus. The 154
report shall be transmitted to the general assembly and be made 155
available to the public.156

       Sec. 3701.785. (A) In establishing the advisory panel as 157
required by division (B)(3) of section 3701.781 of the Revised 158
Code, the commission on minority health shall coordinate the 159
panel to provide input and counsel regarding the lupus education 160
and awareness program.161

       (B)(1) Individuals and organizations may submit nominations 162
to the commission to be appointed. Each panel member shall have 163
familiarity with lupus and issues that surround lupus.164

       (2) The panel shall be comprised of the following members to 165
be appointed by the commission:166

       (a) At least three individuals with lupus, at least one of 167
whom is a member of a minority group;168

       (b) Not more than two representatives from the commission;169

       (c) At least five individuals from lupus nonprofit health 170
organizations, with preference given to individuals from the lupus 171
foundation of America, inc.;172

       (d) At least five scientists or clinicians with experience 173
in lupus who participate in various fields of scientific endeavor, 174
including the fields of biomedical research, social, 175
translational, behavioral and epidemiological research, and public 176
health.177

       (3) The commission shall select from among the panel members 178
one member to serve as chairperson of the panel.179

       Members of the panel shall serve terms of two years each. 180
Members may be named to serve a total of two terms and terms may 181
be consecutive.182

       A majority of the members of the panel constitutes a quorum. 183
A majority vote of a quorum is required for any official action of 184
the panel.185

       The panel shall meet at the call of the panel chairperson, 186
but not less than four times per year.187

       All members shall serve without compensation, but may be 188
reimbursed for actual, necessary expenses incurred in the 189
performance of their duties.190

       (4) The panel shall be responsible for advising the 191
commission and the intergovernmental council with respect to the 192
implementation of the lupus education and awareness program. The 193
commission shall consult with the advisory panel on a regular 194
basis.195

       Sec. 3701.786. There is hereby created in the state treasury 196
the lupus education and awareness program fund. All moneys 197
accepted under division (C) of section 3701.781 of the Revised 198
Code shall be credited to the fund. The commission shall use the 199
fund to administer the lupus education and awareness program 200
under section 3701.781 of the Revised Code.201

       Section 2. All items in this act are hereby appropriated as 202
designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit 203
of the General Revenue Fund. For all appropriations made in this 204
act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2010 and those 205
in the second column are for fiscal year 2011. The appropriations 206
made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made 207
for the FY 2010-2011 biennium.208

Appropriations

209
MIH COMMISSION ON MINORITY HEALTH
210

General Revenue Fund211

GRF 149502 Lupus Program $ 500,000 $ 500,000 212
TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund $ 500,000 $ 500,000 213
TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $ 500,000 $ 500,000 214

       LUPUS PROGRAM215

       Of the foregoing appropriation item 149502, Lupus Program, 216
$500,000 in each fiscal year shall be used for the Lupus Education 217
and Awareness Program created in section 3701.781 of the Revised 218
Code, with up to $50,000 in each fiscal year being used by the 219
Commission for administrative costs related to the program.220

       Section 3. Within the limits set forth in this act, the 221
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts 222
indicating the source and amount of money for each appropriation 223
made in this act and shall determine the form and manner in which 224
the appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from 225
appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as 226
though made in the main operating appropriations act of the 128th 227
General Assembly.228

       The appropriations made in this act are subject to all 229
provisions of the main operating appropriations act of the 128th 230
General Assembly that are generally applicable to such 231
appropriations.232

       Section 4. The General Assembly hereby finds the following:233

       (A) Lupus is a serious, complex, debilitating autoimmune 234
disease that can cause inflammation and tissue damage to virtually 235
any organ system in the body, including the skin, joints, other 236
connective tissue, blood and blood vessels, heart, lungs, kidney, 237
and brain.238

       (B) The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., estimates that 239
approximately 1.5 to 2 million Americans live with lupus; lupus 240
affects women nine times more often than men and 80 per cent of 241
newly diagnosed cases of lupus develop among women of childbearing 242
age.243

       (C) Lupus disproportionately affects women of color; it is 244
two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics, 245
Asians, and Native Americans and is generally more prevalent in 246
minority populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control 247
and Prevention, the rate of lupus mortality has increased since 248
the late 1970's and is higher among older African-American women.249

       (D) No new drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug 250
Administration specifically for lupus in nearly 40 years and while 251
current treatments for the disease can be effective, they can 252
cause damaging side effects.253

       (E) The pain and fatigue associated with lupus can threaten 254
the ability to live independently, maintain employment, and lead 255
a normal life. One in five individuals with lupus is disabled by 256
the disease, and consequently receives support from government 257
programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security 258
Disability, and Social Security Supplemental Income.259

       (F) The estimated average annual cost of medical treatment 260
for an individual with lupus is between $10,000 and $30,000; for 261
individuals who have the most serious form of lupus, medical costs 262
can greatly exceed this amount, causing a significant economic, 263
emotional, and social burden to the entire family and society.264

       (G) More than half of individuals with lupus suffer four or 265
more years and visit three or more physicians before obtaining a 266
diagnosis of lupus; early diagnosis of and treatment for lupus can 267
prevent or reduce serious organ damage, disability, and death.268

       (H) Despite the magnitude of lupus and its impact on 269
individuals and families, health professional and public 270
understanding of lupus remains low; only one in five Americans can 271
provide basic information about lupus, and awareness of lupus is 272
lowest among adults 18 to 34 years of age - the age group most 273
likely to develop lupus.274

       (I) Lupus is a significant national health issue that 275
deserves a comprehensive and coordinated response by state and 276
federal governments with involvement of the health care provider, 277
patient, and public health communities.278

       Section 5. The purpose of this act is to create a 279
multi-pronged, statewide program to promote public and health 280
professional awareness and increase knowledge concerning the 281
causes and consequences of lupus, the importance of early 282
diagnosis and appropriate management, and effective treatment and 283
management strategies by all of the following:284

       (A) Conducting educational and training programs for health 285
professionals on lupus diagnosis and management;286

       (B) Developing and disseminating educational materials and 287
information to patients and health professionals on lupus research 288
results and health care services available;289

       (C) Designing and implementing a statewide public education 290
campaign aimed at heightening public awareness of lupus;291

       (D) Leveraging educational and training resources and 292
services previously developed by organizations with appropriate 293
expertise and knowledge of lupus.294

       Section 6. The sections of law and the items of law of which 295
they are composed that are contained in this act are not subject 296
to the referendum. Therefore, under Ohio Constitution, Article II, 297
Section 1d and section 1.471 of the Revised Code, the sections of 298
law, and the items of which they are composed, go into immediate 299
effect when this act becomes law.300