Bill Text: FL S1300 | 2010 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: Prostate Cancer Awareness Program [SPSC]

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Higher Education [S1300 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-S1300-Comm_Sub.html

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Florida Senate - 2010                             CS for SB 1300 
 
By the Committee on Health Regulation; and Senators Hill, Smith, 
Siplin, and Fasano 
588-04372-10                                          20101300c1 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to the Prostate Cancer Awareness 
3         Program; amending s. 381.911, F.S.; revising the 
4         purpose, structure, and objectives of the Prostate 
5         Cancer Awareness Program within the University of 
6         Florida Prostate Disease Center; authorizing the 
7         University of Florida Prostate Disease Center to work 
8         with other organizations and institutions to create a 
9         systemic focus on increasing community education and 
10         awareness of prostate cancer; requiring the University 
11         of Florida Prostate Disease Center to collaborate with 
12         the Department of Health to establish the UFPDC 
13         Prostate Cancer Task Force, which was formerly 
14         designated as a “committee”; requiring the State 
15         Surgeon General, upon recommendation of the executive 
16         director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease 
17         Center in consultation with the Comprehensive Cancer 
18         Control Program within the Department of Health and 
19         the Florida Cancer Control Program, to appoint members 
20         to the UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force; providing for 
21         reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses; 
22         providing for terms of office; providing for the 
23         appointment of a chair and co-chair; providing for 
24         meetings; providing for a quorum of the task force; 
25         providing the duties of the task force, including an 
26         annual prostate cancer symposium and submission of an 
27         annual report to the Governor, the State Surgeon 
28         General, and the Legislature; providing an effective 
29         date. 
30 
31         WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that prostate cancer is 
32  a major public health problem and that promoting awareness of 
33  this disease is in the public interest of this state, and 
34         WHEREAS, according to the Department of Health’s Florida 
35  Cancer Plan 2003-2006, prostate cancer was the most commonly 
36  diagnosed cancer in Florida, accounting for one in every four 
37  cancer diagnoses, and 
38         WHEREAS, the costs of screening, staging, and treating 
39  prostate cancer patients in both dollars and morbidity continue 
40  to rise, which threatens the foundation of this state’s health 
41  system, and 
42         WHEREAS, because African-American men are 2.8 times more 
43  likely to succumb to prostate cancer than their white 
44  counterparts, a call for action is mandatory, and 
45         WHEREAS, there are currently no organized, active, or 
46  effective mechanisms in Florida to mitigate the incidence of 
47  prostate cancer, the lack of community education and awareness, 
48  the racial and ethnic disparities, and rising burdens of 
49  prostate cancer, and 
50         WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it is a public 
51  necessity to work with the University of Florida Prostate 
52  Disease Center to establish the UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force 
53  and to make changes to the Prostate Cancer Awareness Program in 
54  order to more effectively serve the needs of the people in 
55  Florida, NOW, THEREFORE, 
56 
57  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
58 
59         Section 1. Section 381.911, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
60  read: 
61         381.911 Prostate Cancer Awareness Program.— 
62         (1) To the extent that funds are specifically made 
63  available for this purpose, the Prostate Cancer Awareness 
64  Program is established within the University of Florida Prostate 
65  Disease Center Department of Health. The purpose of this program 
66  is to diligently work toward implementing implement the 
67  recommendations from of January 2000 of the Florida Prostate 
68  Cancer Task Force to provide for statewide outreach to promote 
69  prostate cancer awareness, to communicate the advantages of 
70  early detection, to report recent progress in prostate cancer 
71  research and the availability of clinical trials, to minimize 
72  health disparities through outreach, education, and screening 
73  events, to communicate best-practice principles to physicians 
74  involved in the care of prostate cancer patients, and to 
75  establish a communication platform for patients and their 
76  advocates and health education activities to ensure that men are 
77  aware of and appropriately seek medical counseling for prostate 
78  cancer as an early-detection health care measure. 
79         (2) For purposes of implementing the program, the 
80  University of Florida Prostate Disease Center (UFPDC) may work 
81  with other organizations and institutions to create a systemic 
82  focus on increasing community education and awareness about 
83  prostate cancer by Department of Health and the Florida Public 
84  Health Institute, Inc., may: 
85         (a) Conducting Conduct activities directly or entering 
86  enter into contracts a contract with a qualified nonprofit 
87  community education entities entity. 
88         (b) Seeking Seek any available gifts, grants, or funds from 
89  the state, the Federal Government, philanthropic foundations, 
90  and industry or business groups. 
91         (3) The University of Florida Prostate Disease Center shall 
92  collaborate with the Department of Health to establish the UFPDC 
93  Prostate Cancer Task Force and to lead the task force in 
94  developing and implementing strategies to improve early 
95  detection and, consequently, reduce the number of patients 
96  succumbing to prostate cancer. A Prostate Cancer Advisory 
97  committee is created to advise and assist the Department of 
98  Health and the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc., in 
99  implementing the program. 
100         (a) The State Surgeon General, upon recommendation of the 
101  executive director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease 
102  Center in consultation with the Comprehensive Cancer Control 
103  Program within the Department of Health and the Florida Cancer 
104  Control Program, shall appoint geographically and 
105  institutionally diverse task force the advisory committee 
106  members, who shall consist of: 
107         1. Three persons from prostate cancer survivor groups or 
108  cancer-related advocacy groups. 
109         1.2. One person Three persons who is a scientist are 
110  scientists or clinician clinicians from a community practice who 
111  is a known expert in prostate cancer care, research, or 
112  education public universities or research organizations. 
113         2.3. One person Three persons who is are engaged in the 
114  practice of a cancer-related medical specialty from a health 
115  organization organizations committed to cancer research and 
116  control. 
117         3. The executive director for the University of Florida 
118  Prostate Disease Center or his or her designee. 
119         4. One person, appointed by the Governor, who is a consumer 
120  advocate and has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. 
121         5. One person, appointed by the Governor, who is a 
122  scientist or clinician from an instate university. 
123         6. One person, appointed by the President of the Senate, 
124  who is engaged in the practice of a cancer-related medical 
125  specialty from a health organization committed to cancer 
126  research and control. 
127         7. One person from the public, appointed by the President 
128  of the Senate, who is a consumer advocate and has been diagnosed 
129  with prostate cancer. 
130         8. One person, appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
131  Representatives, who is a scientist or clinician from a 
132  community practice and is a known expert in prostate cancer 
133  care, research, or education. 
134         9. One person from the public, appointed by the Speaker of 
135  the House of Representatives, who is a consumer advocate and has 
136  been diagnosed with prostate cancer. 
137 
138  At least one appointee by the Governor, at least one appointee 
139  by the President of the Senate, and at least one appointee by 
140  the Speaker of the House of Representatives must be a member of 
141  an ethnic or racial minority group. 
142         (b) Members shall serve without compensation but are 
143  entitled to reimbursement, pursuant to s. 112.061, for per diem 
144  and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their 
145  official duties. 
146         (c) Each member of the task force shall be appointed to a 
147  4-year term; however, for the purpose of providing staggered 
148  terms, of the initial appointments, four members shall be 
149  appointed to 2-year terms and four members shall be appointed to 
150  4-year terms with the remaining seat being filled by the UFPDC 
151  executive director or his or her designee. 
152         (d) At the first meeting of the task force each year, the 
153  members shall elect a chair and a vice chair. A vacancy in the 
154  office of chair or vice chair shall be filled by vote of the 
155  remaining members. The task force shall meet biannually and at 
156  other times at the call of the UFPDC executive director or a 
157  majority of the task force members. Five of the members of the 
158  task force constitute a quorum, and an affirmative vote of a 
159  majority of the members present is required for final action. 
160         (e) The UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force shall: 
161         1. Present policy recommendations related to prostate 
162  cancer to the Department of Health and other appropriate 
163  governmental entities. 
164         2. Verify the accuracy of prostate cancer information 
165  disseminated to the public. 
166         3. Develop effective communication channels among all 
167  private and public entities across the state which are involved 
168  in prostate cancer education, research, treatment, and patient 
169  advocacy. 
170         4. Plan, develop, and implement activities designed to 
171  heighten awareness and educate residents of this state, 
172  especially those residents in underserved areas, regarding the 
173  importance of early detection and effective treatment options 
174  for prostate cancer. 
175         5. Develop effective communication channels to various 
176  stakeholders within and across the state. 
177         6. Disseminate information on recent progress in prostate 
178  cancer research and the availability of clinical trials. 
179         7. Minimize health disparities through outreach, education, 
180  and early detection initiatives. 
181         8. Communicate best-practice principles to physicians 
182  involved in the care of patients suffering from prostate cancer. 
183         9. Establish a communication platform for patients and 
184  their advocates. 
185         10. Conduct an annual prostate cancer symposium that brings 
186  physicians, researchers, community leaders, prostate cancer 
187  survivors, and prostate cancer advocates together to highlight 
188  recent advances in prostate cancer research, clinical trials, 
189  and best practices in the prevention of the disease, and to 
190  promote strategies for successful rural and urban outreach, 
191  community education, and increased awareness. 
192         11. Submit and present an annual report to the Governor, 
193  the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 
194  Representatives, and the State Surgeon General by January 15, 
195  2011, and by January 15 each following year, which contains 
196  recommendations for legislative changes necessary to decrease 
197  the incidence of prostate cancer, decrease the racial and ethnic 
198  disparities, and promote increased community education and 
199  awareness. 
200         (4) The program shall coordinate its efforts with those of 
201  the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc. 
202         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.