Florida Senate - 2023 SB 1408 By Senator Davis 5-00979-23 20231408__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the sickle cell program; providing 3 a short title; amending s. 381.815, F.S.; requiring 4 the Department of Health to establish a grant program 5 for the prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell 6 disease and for certain educational programs; 7 requiring the department to develop application 8 criteria and standards of eligibility for grants under 9 the program; requiring the department to ensure that 10 grant funds are used for specified purposes; requiring 11 the department to develop and maintain a voluntary 12 sickle cell disease registry; requiring the department 13 to conduct a specified study; requiring the department 14 to adopt rules; providing an effective date. 15 16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17 18 Section 1.This act may be known as the Sickle Cell 19 Prevention, Care, and Treatment Act. 20 Section 2.Subsections (1) and (3) of section 381.815, 21 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 22 381.815Sickle cell Sickle-cell program; voluntary 23 registry.The Department of Health shall, to the extent that 24 resources are available: 25 (1)Provide education to the citizens of Florida about 26 sickle cell sickle-cell disease. 27 (3)(a)Establish a grant program for the prevention, care, 28 and treatment of sickle cell disease and for community-based 29 educational programs concerning the disease. The community-based 30 educational programs shall include an outreach program that 31 provides for the dissemination of information relating to the 32 prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell disease. 33 (b)Develop application criteria and standards of 34 eligibility for applicants for funds under the grant program. 35 1.Groups or organizations that meet the eligibility 36 standards developed by the department may apply for funds under 37 the program. 38 2.a.Priority for grants must be given to established 39 sickle cell disease community-based applicants throughout this 40 state. 41 b.Further priority must be given to ensuring the 42 establishment of sickle cell disease centers in underserved 43 areas with a higher population of sickle cell disease patients. 44 (c)Require that all program grant funds be used for the 45 purpose of prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell 46 disease or for educational programs concerning the disease. 47 (d)Develop and maintain a voluntary sickle cell disease 48 registry for persons diagnosed with sickle cell disease. 49 (e)Conduct a study to determine the prevalence, impact, 50 and needs of patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease and the 51 sickle cell trait in the state. 52 (f)Adopt rules necessary to implement this subsection Make 53 grants or enter into contracts with not-for-profit centers. 54 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.