California Assembly Bill AB2354 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2354AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 28, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez FEBRUARY 19, 2010  An act to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 128570) to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.   An act relating to public health.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2354, as amended, V. Manuel Perez.  Community Health Workers: Promotores.   Promotores: medically underserved communities: federal grants.  Existing law establishes training and certification programs for various healing arts professionals including, among others, nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, dietitians, and social workers.  This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the University of California, to establish a technical advisory committee to study the current use of promotores in supporting positive health outcomes throughout California and the funding resources that support the work of promotores. This bill would also encourage the department to incorporate the use of promotores for programs requiring outreach or involving strategies that seek to increase access to care, health education, prevention, and the creation of healthier communities.   This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to assess the grants to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes available pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for funding opportunities related to the use of promotores in medically underserved communities and report on this assessment to the fiscal and health policy committees of the Legislature by April 1, 2011, with recommendations for attaining and maximizing federal funding. This bill would also require the department to rely upon past research about the efficacy of promotores and not permit the department to conduct new research.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   (a) The State Department of Public Health shall assess the grants to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes available pursuant to Section 399V of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) for funding opportunities related to the use of promotores, also known as community health workers, in medically underserved communities. The department shall report on this assessment to the fiscal and health policy committees of the Legislature by April 1, 2011, with recommendations for attaining and maximizing federal funding.   (b) The assessment made by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) shall rely upon past research about the efficacy of promotores and the department may not conduct new research.   (c) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.   (2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on April 1, 2015.   SECTION 1.   The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Promotores, also known as community health workers, peer leaders, or health advocates, serve as a bridge between the community and the public health care system, providing health education, health promotion, prevention, informational counseling, and referral information, as well as resources in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate. Promotores function as cultural brokers who possess a unique understanding of those, often difficult-to-reach, communities they serve. (b) Integrating promotores and community health workers into health programs and strategies has been documented as being associated with improvements in access to health care, health status, and health screening behavior. The role of promotores, however, expands beyond disease-related functions into community health. Promotores are critical in creating health communities, improving the built environment, increasing awareness about community factors affecting health, and in creating mechanisms for families, and particularly low-income families, to learn, thrive, and participate in and transform their communities. (c) In 2009, through Assembly Concurrent Resolution 75 (Chapter 125 of the Resolutions of 2009), the Legislature recognized and applauded the contributions of promotores in improving community health and well-being, advocacy, and cost-effective prevention by declaring October 2009 as California Promotores Month. (d) Ongoing federal efforts to address health care affordability, accessibility, and use have identified the promotores model as an effective practice and have committed financial support to help implement the model. Current federal law includes funding and support for programs that could employ promotores on a broad scale. (e) As increased federal public health funding becomes available to California, specifically for the increased use of promotores and for programs that employ promotores, it is incumbent upon the state to have a comprehensive statewide strategy to target resources and invest funding into proven programs, successful models, and the best practices. Accordingly, a comprehensive assessment of the current use of and funding for promotores is needed to guide the state's future investments.   SEC. 2.   Article 6 (commencing with Section 128570) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read: Article 6. Promotores Development Program Study 128570. (a) The State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the University of California, shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current use of promotores in supporting positive health outcomes throughout California, including, but not limited to, in rural communities, and the funding resources that support the work of promotores. (b) This assessment shall include all of the following: (1) An examination of promotores programs throughout California that identifies best practices in at least the areas of recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, scope of work, supervision, program design and implementation, successful programs, and resources. (2) The federal, state, and local agencies that operate promotores programs, use or contract for promotores, or provide resources to organizations, including, but not limited to, nonprofit organizations, that support and expand the work of promotores. (3) An examination of previous studies that evaluated promotores programs and have identified model programs or best practices. (c) The department shall convene a technical advisory committee to help guide and design this assessment. This advisory committee shall include representatives from the following: (1) Community-based organizations with experience in training and hiring promotores. (2) County public health departments. (3) Foundations that support promotores programs. (4) Primary community care clinics. (5) Promotores or community health workers. (6) Universities and other academic institutions. (7) Other stakeholders the department deems necessary. (d) The committee and the department shall use federal funding, including, but not limited to, funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and its Health Resources and Services Administration and funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support the development of this assessment.   SEC. 3.   As federal funding is awarded to the states for health prevention efforts, the State Department of Public Health is encouraged to incorporate the use of promotores for programs requiring outreach or involving strategies that seek to increase access to care, health education, prevention, and the creation of healthier communities.