| 3 | 2 | | |
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| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 6 | | relating to health professional continuing education to address |
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| 8 | 7 | | communicable and other diseases in border counties. |
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| 9 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 81, Health and Safety Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 10 | | adding Subchapter K to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 11 | | SUBCHAPTER K. HEALTH PROFESSIONAL CONTINUING EDUCATION TO ADDRESS |
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| 13 | 12 | | COMMUNICABLE AND OTHER DISEASES IN BORDER COUNTIES |
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| 14 | 13 | | Sec. 81.451. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 15 | 14 | | (1) "Community health worker" has the meaning assigned |
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| 16 | 15 | | by Section 48.001. |
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| 17 | 16 | | (2) "Health professional" means an individual whose: |
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| 18 | 17 | | (A) vocation or profession is directly or |
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| 19 | 18 | | indirectly related to the maintenance of the health of another |
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| 20 | 19 | | individual; and |
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| 21 | 20 | | (B) duties require a specified amount of formal |
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| 22 | 21 | | education and may require a special examination, certificate or |
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| 23 | 22 | | license, or membership in a regional or national association. |
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| 24 | 23 | | (3) "HIV" means human immunodeficiency virus. |
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| 25 | 24 | | Sec. 81.452. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter |
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| 26 | 25 | | applies only to a county adjacent to the international border with |
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| 27 | 26 | | Mexico. |
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| 28 | 27 | | Sec. 81.453. HEALTH PROFESSIONAL CONTINUING EDUCATION. |
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| 29 | 28 | | (a) To the extent funds are available, the department, in |
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| 30 | 29 | | collaboration with health authorities, local health departments, |
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| 31 | 30 | | and public health districts, shall provide to community health |
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| 32 | 31 | | workers, health professionals, and applicable employees of a local |
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| 33 | 32 | | health department or public health district continuing education |
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| 34 | 33 | | designed to reduce the incidence of communicable and other diseases |
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| 35 | 34 | | in counties described by Section 81.452. |
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| 36 | 35 | | (b) The continuing education described by Subsection (a) |
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| 37 | 36 | | may address: |
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| 38 | 37 | | (1) the diagnosis and treatment of communicable and |
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| 39 | 38 | | other diseases, including: |
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| 40 | 39 | | (A) tuberculosis, tuberculosis meningitis, |
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| 41 | 40 | | multidrug resistant tuberculosis, and tuberculosis and HIV |
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| 42 | 41 | | coinfections; |
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| 43 | 42 | | (B) sexually transmitted diseases and HIV; and |
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| 44 | 43 | | (C) liver diseases; |
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| 45 | 44 | | (2) methods for increasing pediatric and adult |
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| 46 | 45 | | immunization rates; |
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| 47 | 46 | | (3) strategies for improving health care system |
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| 48 | 47 | | operations related to public health, including identifying, |
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| 49 | 48 | | monitoring, tracking, and responding to communicable and other |
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| 50 | 49 | | diseases occurring in the counties described by Section 81.452; and |
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| 51 | 50 | | (4) any other matter that the department determines |
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| 52 | 51 | | will assist health professionals, local health departments, and |
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| 53 | 52 | | public health districts with addressing public health challenges |
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| 54 | 53 | | existing in those counties. |
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| 55 | 54 | | (c) The department shall identify and assess the |
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| 56 | 55 | | accessibility of continuing education resources and programs for |
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| 57 | 56 | | local health departments in counties described by Section 81.452 |
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| 58 | 57 | | that may provide the continuing education described by this |
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| 59 | 58 | | section. |
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| 60 | 59 | | Sec. 81.454. FUNDING. (a) The department may solicit or |
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| 61 | 60 | | accept gifts, grants, or donations to fund health professional |
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| 62 | 61 | | continuing education under this subchapter. |
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| 63 | 62 | | (b) The department shall collaborate with state and federal |
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| 64 | 63 | | agencies, nonprofit organizations, public and private hospitals, |
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| 65 | 64 | | institutions of higher education, and the private sector to |
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| 66 | 65 | | identify, apply for, and solicit sources of funding for health |
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| 67 | 66 | | professional continuing education under this subchapter. |
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| 68 | 67 | | SECTION 2. The Department of State Health Services is |
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| 69 | 68 | | required to implement a provision of this Act only if the |
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| 70 | 69 | | legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If |
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| 71 | 70 | | the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that |
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| 72 | 71 | | purpose, the department may, but is not required to, implement a |
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| 73 | 72 | | provision of this Act using other appropriations available for that |
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| 74 | 73 | | purpose. |
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| 75 | 74 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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