Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1306 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1306
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1306
8	8	J1 5lr2881
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Patterson, Addison, Alston, Bartlett, Boafo, Boyce, Cardin, Hill,
11	11	Holmes, Ivey, Kaiser, J. Long, McCaskill, McComas, Mireku–North, Pasteur,
12	12	Phillips, Roberson, Ruff, Taylor, Toles, Turner, Wells, White Holland, Wims,
13	13	and Woods
14	14	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
15	15	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
16	16
17	17	A BILL ENTITLED
18	18
19	19	AN ACT concerning 1
20	20
21	21	Public Health – Sickle Cell Disease – Specialized Clinics and Scholarship 2
22	22	Program for Medical Residents 3
23	23
24	24	FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Department of Health to establish certain 4
25	25	specialized clinics for the management and treatment of sickle cell disease and 5
26	26	establish a scholarship program for medical residents with a certain specialization 6
27	27	and focus on sickle cell disease; and generally relating to sickle cell disease. 7
28	28
29	29	BY adding to 8
30	30	Article – Health – General 9
31	31	Section 18–510 and 18–511 10
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
33	33	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
37	37
38	38	Article – Health – General 15
39	39
40	40	18–510. 16
41	41
42	42	(A) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH THREE SPEC IALIZED 17
43	43	CLINICS DEDICATED TO THE MAN AGEMENT AND TREATMEN T OF SICKLE CELL 18
44	44	DISEASE. 19
45	45
46	46	(2) THE CLINICS ESTABLISH ED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 20
47	47	SUBSECTION SHALL BE LOCATED IN: 21 2 HOUSE BILL 1306
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(I) MONTGOMERY COUNTY; 1
52	52
53	53	(II) HARFORD COUNTY; AND 2
54	54
55	55	(III) A COUNTY LOCATED ON TH E EASTERN SHORE. 3
56	56
57	57	(B) EACH CLINIC ESTABLISH ED UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION 4
58	58	SHALL: 5
59	59
60	60	(1) OPERATE UNDER A HUB –AND–SPOKE MODEL WITH A 6
61	61	SPECIALIZED SICKLE C ELL DISEASE CARE HUB; 7
62	62
63	63	(2) PROVIDE ROUTINE CARE , PAIN MANAGEMENT , GENETIC 8
64	64	COUNSELING , MENTAL HEALTH SERVIC ES, SURVEILLANCE , AND PATIENT 9
65	65	EDUCATION; AND 10
66	66
67	67	(3) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SPECIALIZED SICK LE CELL CARE 11
68	68	HUB: 12
69	69
70	70	(I) ENSURE CONSISTENT ACC ESS TO HUB–BASED SICKLE CELL 13
71	71	DISEASE SPECIALISTS THROUGH TELEHEALTH O R ON–SITE VISITS TO MANAG E 14
72	72	COMPLEX PATIENT NEED S; 15
73	73
74	74	(II) OFFER COMPREHENSIVE B EHAVIORAL HEALTH AND 16
75	75	SOCIAL SUPPORT SERVI CES TO ADDRESS THE M ULTIFACETED CHALLENG ES FACED 17
76	76	BY INDIVIDUALS WITH SICKLE CELL DIS EASE; 18
77	77
78	78	(III) OPERATE OR COORDINATE INFUSION THERAPY AND 19
79	79	STRUCTURED PAIN MANA GEMENT PROGRAMS TAIL ORED TO THE CLINICAL 20
80	80	DEMANDS OF SICKLE CE LL DISEASE PATIENTS ; 21
81	81
82	82	(IV) COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL PRIMARY C ARE PROVIDERS 22
83	83	AND SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES TO STREAMLI NE REFERRALS , REDUCE CARE GAPS , 23
84	84	AND ADDRESS SOCIAL D ETERMINANTS OF HEALTH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ; AND 24
85	85
86	86	(V) PARTNER WITH A SICKLE CELL DISEASE –FOCUSED 25
87	87	COMMUNITY –BASED ORGANIZATION T O IDENTIFY AND RESOL VE SOCIAL BARRIERS , 26
88	88	INCLUDING ASSISTANCE WITH TRANSPORTATION , HOUSING, NUTRITION, AND 27
89	89	OTHER CRITICAL SUPPO RTS. 28
90	90	HOUSE BILL 1306 3
91	91
92	92
93	93	(C) (1) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027, THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE 1
94	94	ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $6,000,000 TO SUPPORT CLINIC 2
95	95	OPERATIONS, STAFFING, TRAINING, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT S ERVICES. 3
96	96
97	97	(2) A PORTION OF THE FUNDI NG PROVIDED UNDER PA RAGRAPH (1) 4
98	98	OF THIS SUBSECTION S HALL BE ALLOCATED TO COMMUNITY –BASED 5
99	99	ORGANIZATIONS AND SI CKLE CELL DISEASE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO 6
100	100	ENHANCE PATIENT OUTR EACH, PROVIDE EDUCATION , EXPAND SUPPORT SERVI CES, 7
101	101	AND STRENG THEN COMMUNITY PARTN ERSHIPS TO IMPROVE S ICKLE CELL DISEASE 8
102	102	CARE. 9
103	103
104	104	(3) THE FUNDING PROVIDED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 10
105	105	SUBSECTION SHALL BE PRIORITIZED FOR : 11
106	106
107	107	(I) THE HIRING OF QUALIFI ED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS , 12
108	108	INCLUDING HEMATOLOGI STS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS , AND COMMUNITY HEALTH 13
109	109	CARE WORKERS ; 14
110	110
111	111	(II) ADDRESSING SOCIAL DET ERMINANTS OF HEALTH 15
112	112	AFFECTING INDIVIDUAL S WITH SICKLE CELL D ISEASE; AND 16
113	113
114	114	(III) COLLABORATING WITH CO MMUNITY–BASED 17
115	115	ORGANIZATIONS AND SI CKLE CELL DISEASE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ONS. 18
116	116
117	117	(D) (1) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1 EACH YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT 19
118	118	SHALL REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF 20
119	119	THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, ON THE CLINICS ESTAB LISHED UNDER THIS 21
120	120	SECTION. 22
121	121
122	122	(2) THE REPORT REQUIRED U NDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 23
123	123	SUBSECTION SHALL ADD RESS, FOR EACH CLINIC : 24
124	124
125	125	(I) CLINIC OPERATIONS ; 25
126	126
127	127	(II) OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS TREATED AT THE CLINIC; 26
128	128
129	129	(III) THE OVERALL IMPACT OF EACH CLINIC IN REDUCING 27
130	130	HEALTH DISPARITIES I N INDIVIDUALS WITH S ICKLE CELL DISEASE ; 28
131	131
132	132	(IV) UTILIZATION RATES , PATIENT VOLUME , AND 29
133	133	ACCESSIBILITY, INCLUDING IMPACTS OF HOURS OF OPERATIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC 30
134	134	REACH; AND 31
135	135	4 HOUSE BILL 1306
136	136
137	137
138	138	(V) IMPLEMENTATION OF TEL EMEDICINE AND DIGITA L 1
139	139	HEALTH TOOLS TO EXTEND CARE TO UN DERSERVED AREAS . 2
140	140
141	141	18–511. 3
142	142
143	143	(A) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRA M FOR 4
144	144	MEDICAL RESIDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO SPECIALIZE IN BENIGN OR CLASSICAL 5
145	145	HEMATOLOG Y WITH A FOCUS ON SICK LE CELL CARE. 6
146	146
147	147	(B) THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGR AM ESTABLISHED UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OF 7
148	148	THIS SECTION SHALL P ROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MEDICAL RESID ENT 8
149	149	IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RECIPIENT’S COMMITMENT TO PRAC TICE IN THE STATE FOR 9
150	150	A MINIMUM PERIOD OF TIME, AS DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT , FOLLOWING 10
151	151	THE RECIPIENT’S RESIDENCY OR FELLO WSHIP. 11
152	152
153	153	(C) TO THE EXTENT PRACTIC ABLE, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL USE FEDERAL 12
154	154	FUNDING TO SUPPORT T HE SCHOLARSHIP PROGR AM ESTABLISHED UNDER 13
155	155	SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION. 14
156	156
157	157	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
158	158	October 1, 2025. 16