FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 173
90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JACOB.
Pre-filed December 16, 1998, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
S0012.01I
AN ACT
To amend chapter 192, RSMo, by adding thereto three new sections relating to the department of health.
Section A. Chapter 192, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto three new sections, to be known as sections 192.031, 192.033 and 192.036, to read as follows:
192.031. The department of health shall:
(1) Establish and promote hepatitis C education programs as an integral part of its health promotion and disease prevention efforts in order to raise public awareness, educate consumers, and educate and train health care professionals and human services providers; and
(2) Identify resources for hepatitis C education, screening and treatment and to coordinate the efforts of existing organizations with new programs and with each other so as to maximize education and access to services.
192.033. The department of health may use the following strategies for raising public awareness of the causes, including personal risk factors, and nature of hepatitis C, the value of prevention and early detection, and options for diagnosing and treating the disease:
(1) An outreach campaign utilizing print, radio, and television public service announcements, advertisements, posters, and other materials;
(2) Community forums;
(3) Health information and risk factor assessment at public events;
(4) Targeting at-risk populations;
(5) Providing reliable information to policy makers;
(6) Distributing information through local health agencies, schools, employer wellness programs, physicians, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, prisons, sports leagues, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, state fairs and department of health offices;
(7) Identifying and obtaining educational materials, including brochures and videotapes, that translate accurately the latest scientific information on hepatitis C in easy-to-understand terms; and
(8) Building a statewide capacity to provide information and referrals on all aspects of hepatitis C, including, but not limited to, educational materials, counseling, and patient support groups.
192.036. The department of health shall use the strategies, protocols, and guidelines adopted by the National Institutes of Health on hepatitis C for educating physicians and health professionals and training providers on the most recent scientific and medical information on hepatitis C detection, diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decision-making. The guidelines may include, but not be limited to the following:
(1) Tracking and reporting of both acute and chronic cases of hepatitis C by public health officials;
(2) A cost-efficient plan to screen the prison population;
(3) Protocols that may be used within the department of corrections to enable that department to provide appropriate treatment to prisoners with hepatitis C;
(4) Protocols for the education of correctional officers and other correctional workers who work with prisoners with hepatitis C; and
(5) Protocols for public safety and the protection of health care workers who come in contact with hepatitis C patients.