Bill Text: TX SB2448 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the use of funds appropriated by the Department of State Health Services to deliver low-dose, at-home racemic ketamine via telehealth to improve healthcare access and mental health outcomes across rural and high-risk populations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-23 - Referred to Health & Human Services [SB2448 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB2448-Introduced.html
By: Menéndez | S.B. No. 2448 | |
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relating to the use of funds appropriated by the Department of State | ||
Health Services to deliver low-dose, at-home racemic ketamine via | ||
telehealth to improve healthcare access and mental health outcomes | ||
across rural and high-risk populations. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 1001.203, Health and Safety Code is | ||
amended by adding Section 1001.2032 to read as follows: | ||
(1) The purpose of this Act is to provide for expanded | ||
healthcare access, reduced care costs, improved mental health, | ||
reduced chronic pain, increased workforce productivity, improved | ||
trauma management for first responders and active military, and | ||
improved health rankings for rural and high-risk populations across | ||
Texas by authorizing the Department of State Health Services to | ||
fund low-dose, at-home ketamine using medical technology in the | ||
form of targeted intranasal delivery that can optimize the | ||
effectiveness of and reduce the potential side effects related to | ||
racemic ketamine treatments. | ||
(2) The Department of State Health Services shall direct | ||
funding to treat rural health population, first responders, | ||
veterans, and activity military with a clinical diagnosis of | ||
depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and chronic | ||
pain. The Department of State Health Services shall allocate a | ||
total of $55,000,000 for the purpose of providing funding during | ||
the state fiscal years ending August 31, 2024 and August 31, 2025 | ||
for the treatment of at least 15,000 adults that are designated as | ||
living in a rural area of Texas, at least 8,000 first responders, | ||
and at least 6,000 veterans or active military. | ||
(3) The Department of State Health Services shall transfer | ||
the appropriations through contracts with low-dose, at-home | ||
racemic ketamine service providers that utilize targeted | ||
intranasal drug delivery. When treating mental health and | ||
neurological conditions, which requires the delivery of | ||
pharmaceutical agents to the brain, it is well understood that | ||
using oral administration is the least efficient and problematic | ||
route and intravenous or intramuscular administration prohibits | ||
at-home, self-administration, which is required to maximize access | ||
to care. The most optimized route of administration is intranasal, | ||
where certain regions of the nasal anatomy provide optimized | ||
pathways for drug delivery that can eliminate side effects that can | ||
reduce treatment compliance and maximize potential health | ||
outcomes. The treatment protocol shall not exceed 30 to 60 | ||
milligrams of racemic ketamine per individual treatment and shall | ||
not exceed a total of 180 to 360 milligrams of racemic ketamine for | ||
the entire treatment program, as this sub-anesthetic and low-dose | ||
treatment protocol will minimize the potential for side-effects. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution, and shall | ||
expire September 1, 2025. | ||
SECTION 3: The Department of State Health Services required | ||
to implement this Act only if the legislature appropriates money | ||
specifically for the purpose stated in SECTION 1 if this Act. If the | ||
legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that | ||
purpose, the Department of State Health Services may, but is not | ||
required to, implement this Act using other appropriations | ||
available for the purpose. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |