Bill Text: FL S1278 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

Florida Senate Bill 1278 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: School Nurse Services [SPSC]

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Health Regulation [S1278 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-S1278-Introduced.html

 
Florida Senate - 2010                                    SB 1278 
 
By Senator Wilson 
33-00947-10                                           20101278__ 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to school health services; providing a 
3         short title; creating s. 381.0058, F.S., relating to 
4         public-private partnerships for the provision of 
5         school nurse services; providing legislative intent 
6         and purpose; providing duties of the State Surgeon 
7         General and the Commissioner of Education in 
8         publicizing the availability of matching funds and 
9         determining eligibility for such funds; providing a 
10         process for a community to submit a proposal to 
11         receive matching funds; providing for the scope of 
12         services to be provided; providing review and 
13         selection criteria; providing legislative intent 
14         relating to funding the act; providing an 
15         appropriation; providing an effective date. 
16 
17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
18 
19         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “One School, One 
20  Nurse Act.” 
21         Section 2. Section 381.0058, Florida Statutes, is created 
22  to read: 
23         381.0058 Matching funds for school nurse services; public 
24  private partnerships.— 
25         (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that matching 
26  funds, in addition to those provided under s. 381.0056 for the 
27  School Health Services Act and s. 381.0057 for school health 
28  services funding, be provided in those communities where 
29  interest in school health services is evidenced by the 
30  participation of public or private entities in the funding or 
31  delivery of school nurse services. The purpose of this funding 
32  is to encourage the development of those programs that offer the 
33  greatest potential for promoting the health of students, 
34  increasing the availability of and access to nurses in the 
35  school setting, and fostering greater community participation in 
36  the delivery of school nurse services. Matching funds shall be 
37  available specifically for implementing the programs described 
38  in ss. 381.0056, 381.0057, and 402.3026 which are designed to 
39  meet the particular needs of the community. Further, it is the 
40  intent of the Legislature that tobacco-settlement revenue be 
41  used to pay for health and human services for children. 
42         (2) The State Surgeon General, or his or her designee, in 
43  cooperation with the Commissioner of Education, or his or her 
44  designee, shall publicize the availability of matching funds for 
45  public and private entities committed to enhancing the 
46  availability of school nurse services, as reflected in formal 
47  agreements that are part of the local school health services 
48  plan. 
49         (3) The State Surgeon General, or his or her designees, in 
50  cooperation with the Commissioner of Education, or his or her 
51  designees, in equal representation, shall form a committee to 
52  determine the eligibility of sites to receive matching funds. 
53         (4) Any community that seeks to receive state matching 
54  funds under this section must submit a proposal to the committee 
55  established in subsection (3). The proposal must state the goals 
56  of the program, provide specific plans for enhancing local 
57  resources available for school nurse services, and describe all 
58  of the health services to be made available to students from 
59  matching funds provided under this section. A county health 
60  department or school district that receives matching funds may 
61  not supplant more than 50 percent of the current local 
62  contributions to school health services funding, as documented 
63  in the local school health services plan. 
64         (5) In addition to the merits of a proposal, the award of 
65  matching funds must be based on those proposals from sites that 
66  include county health departments and school districts that most 
67  closely meet the following criteria: 
68         (a) Have evidence of a comprehensive inservice staff 
69  development plan. 
70         (b) Have evidence of a cooperative working relationship 
71  between the county health department and the school district, 
72  and have community as well as parental support. 
73         (c) Have a high percentage of subsidized school lunches. 
74         (d) Have a high incidence of medically underserved high 
75  risk children, low birthweight babies, infant mortality, or 
76  teenage pregnancy. 
77         (e) Have a high incidence of children who have chronic 
78  health conditions or high-risk behavioral problems. 
79         (f) Have documented in the local school health services 
80  plan a commitment from community entities to fund or provide 
81  other direct resources for the enhanced availability of school 
82  health services. 
83         (g) Have a plan to ensure billing for Medicaid funding for 
84  services rendered under the certified school match program or 
85  the county health department certified match program as 
86  specified in s. 409.9122. 
87 
88  Although these criteria are part of the review process for 
89  proposals, they are not to be construed as the sole factors to 
90  be considered in the proposal-review process. A site’s ability 
91  to address, and interest in addressing, locally identified needs 
92  and priorities must also be considered. In addition, receipt of 
93  matching funds is not intended to diminish a site’s eligibility 
94  for base funding for school health services. 
95         Section 3. It is the intent of the Legislature that 
96  sufficient resources be made available to fund a nurse in every 
97  public school in the state as provided in this act. The 
98  Legislature recognizes that extensive resources will be 
99  necessary to achieve this intent, and that a portion of these 
100  resources can be found from a variety of existing resources. The 
101  Legislature recognizes that existing funding for basic and 
102  comprehensive school health services and full-service schools, 
103  as created under ss. 381.0056 and 381.0057, Florida Statutes, 
104  can be used as partial funding. The Legislature further 
105  recognizes that funding earned by local school districts and 
106  county health departments from the Agency for Health Care 
107  Administration for the delivery of services to Medicaid-eligible 
108  students can also be used as partial funding. Finally, the 
109  Legislature recognizes that local funds currently being used for 
110  school health services are now eligible for matching funds under 
111  the school nurse services provided through public-private 
112  partnerships as created by this act. It is the intent of the 
113  Legislature that the remainder of resources necessary for 
114  placing a nurse in every school be derived from the state’s 
115  tobacco-settlement revenue. 
116         Section 4. The sum of $75,000 is appropriated from the 
117  General Revenue Fund to the Department of Health for the purpose 
118  of convening a school health summit as recommended by Senate 
119  Interim Project Report 98-30, September 1998. 
120         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.