California Assembly Bill AB648 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 648AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2015 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Low (Coauthor: Senator Nguyen) FEBRUARY 24, 2015 An act to add Section  104755.5 to the Health and Safety Code,   15438.11 to the Government Code,  relating to oral health, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 648, as amended, Low.  Community-based services:   Health care access demonstration project grants:  Virtual Dental Home program.  Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the administration of a state oral health program known as the Office of Oral Health for the purposes of, among other things, establishing community dental disease prevention programs for schoolaged children.   Existing law, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Act, establishes a program for the California Health Facilities Authority to award grants that do not exceed $1,500,000 to one or more projects designed to demonstrate specified new or enhanced cost-effective methods of delivering quality health care services to improve access to quality health care for vulnerable populations or communities, or both, that are effective at enhancing health outcomes and improving access to quality health care and preventive services. Existing law requires the authority to prepare and provide a report to the Legislature and the Governor on the outcomes of the demonstration grant program that includes, among other information, the total amount of grants issued and the amount of each grant issued. Existing law establishes the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for these purposes.  This bill would establish the Virtual Dental Home  grant program   Grant Program, to be administered by the authority,  to expand the virtual dental home  (VDH)  model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need, as prescribed.  The bill would also create the California Virtual Dental Home Grant Program Account (VDH account) within the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund.  The bill would require the program to facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through use of the  Virtual Dental Home   VDH  model by providing grants to, among other things, develop training modules and establish community-based learning collaboratives, as prescribed. The bill would require the program administrator   authority  to evaluate the grant program's progress toward meeting the objective to expand the  virtual dental home   VDH  model of the community-based delivery of dental care and to post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation, as specified.  The bill would transfer up to $6,500,000 from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Hospital Equipment Loan Program Fund to the VDH account for the purposes of the bill. By expanding the purposes for which a continuously appropriated fund may be used, this bill would make an appropriation.   The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 to the department for the purposes of this program.   This bill would become operative only if SB 315 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2016. Vote:  2/3   majority  . Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 15438.11 is added to the   Government Code  , to read:   15438.11. (a) (1) There is hereby created the California Virtual Dental Home Grant Program Account in the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund for the purpose of administering a competitive grant selection process, in accordance with this section. (2) An amount of up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) shall be transferred from funds in the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Hospital Equipment Loan Program that are not impressed with a trust for other purposes into the California Virtual Dental Home Grant Program Account for the purpose of administering a competitive grant selection process pursuant to this section. (b) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) Grant Program is hereby established to expand the virtual dental home model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need. The program shall be administered by the authority. (c) The VDH Grant Program shall facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through the use of the VDH model by providing grants to do all of the following: (1) Develop training modules and Internet-based technical assistance. (2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives. (3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment. (4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section. (d) The authority may seek additional private or public funds to expand access to the VDH Grant Program. (e) The VDH Grant Program shall be focused on providing needed services in geographic areas of highest need, as determined by the authority. (f) The authority may grant funds directly to public and private educational institutions or nonprofit entities as required to meet the requirements of this section. (g) The authority shall evaluate the VDH Grant Program's progress toward meeting the objective to expand the VDH model of the community-based delivery of dental care to residents in geographic areas of highest need. On or before January 1, 2020, the authority shall post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation on its Internet Web site.   SEC. 2.   This act shall become operative only if Senate Bill 315 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2016.   SECTION 1.   Section 104755.5 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 104755.5. (a) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) grant program is hereby established to expand the virtual dental home model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need. (b) The grant program shall be administered by the dentist appointed to the State Department of Public Health, Oral Health Unit, by the director pursuant to Section 104755. (c) The VDH grant program shall facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through the use of the Virtual Dental Home model by providing grants to do all of the following: (1) Develop training modules and Web-based technical assistance. (2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives. (3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment. (4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section. (d) The program administrator may seek additional private or public funds to expand access to the VDH program. (e) The VDH program shall be focused on providing needed services in geographic areas of highest need, as determined by the program administrator. (f) The program administrator may grant funds directly to public and private educational institutions or nonprofit entities as required to meet the requirements of this section. (g) The program administrator shall evaluate the grant program's progress toward meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental home model of the community-based delivery of dental care to residents in geographic areas of highest need. Upon completion of the evaluation, the program administrator shall post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation on the State Department of Public Health' s Internet Web site.   SEC. 2.   The sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Public Health for the purposes of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of the Health and Safety Code.