Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1520 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R4872 SCL-F
2	2	By: Seliger S.B. No. 1520
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the home nursing visitation for
8	8	newborn caregivers competitive grant program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, is amended by
11	11	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER G. HOME NURSING VISITATION FOR NEWBORN CAREGIVERS GRANT
13	13	PROGRAM
14	14	Sec. 32.201. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15	15	(1) "Program" means the home nursing visitation for
16	16	newborn caregivers grant program established under this
17	17	subchapter.
18	18	(2) "Service provider" means an entity that offers
19	19	free of charge home nursing visits for newborn caregivers.
20	20	Sec. 32.202. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM; RULES. (a) The
21	21	commission shall establish and administer a competitive grant
22	22	program under which the commission awards grants to eligible
23	23	service providers to provide or expand home nursing visitation
24	24	services for newborn caregivers.
25	25	(b) The commission shall award grants under the program to
26	26	eligible service providers in a manner that ensures the grant
27	27	recipients:
28	28	(1) operate in multiple communities that are
29	29	geographically distributed throughout this state;
30	30	(2) have the capacity to offer home nursing visitation
31	31	services to all newborn caregivers within a defined service area,
32	32	including a birthing hospital service area, a municipality, or a
33	33	county; and
34	34	(3) commit to continuing ongoing work to ultimately
35	35	serve the communities' entire newborn population to have the
36	36	maximum possible health impact on that population.
37	37	(c) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules as
38	38	necessary to implement this subchapter.
39	39	Sec. 32.203. SERVICE REQUIREMENTS. Home nursing visitation
40	40	services funded by a grant awarded under this subchapter must:
41	41	(1) be offered free of charge to all newborn
42	42	caregivers, including foster and adoptive families, within the
43	43	grant recipient's defined service area;
44	44	(2) be voluntary and not impose negative consequences
45	45	on a newborn caregiver that chooses not to participate;
46	46	(3) be provided by registered nurses in the newborn
47	47	caregiver's home whenever possible, using telehealth services when
48	48	necessary and feasible;
49	49	(4) include an evidence-based assessment of the
50	50	physical, social, and emotional factors affecting the health and
51	51	safety of the newborn caregiver's family;
52	52	(5) include at least one registered nurse visit to the
53	53	newborn caregiver not later than six weeks postpartum or six weeks
54	54	after the newborn is discharged from a newborn intensive care unit,
55	55	whichever is later, with the opportunity for up to three total
56	56	registered nurse visits as determined by the nurse's professional
57	57	judgment;
58	58	(6) provide information and referrals to a newborn
59	59	caregiver that are tailored to the caregiver's needs, as identified
60	60	by a home nursing visit, and support the caregiver in navigating
61	61	needed services;
62	62	(7) include a follow-up call to the newborn caregiver
63	63	not later than three months after the last home nursing visit to
64	64	assess success in referrals and family satisfaction and to close
65	65	the case;
66	66	(8) strictly adhere to an evidence-based service
67	67	delivery model, according to criteria set by the United States
68	68	Department of Health and Human Services for an early childhood home
69	69	visiting service delivery model, that is selected by the
70	70	commission, including any clinical, programmatic, and data
71	71	collection requirements of the model;
72	72	(9) aim to improve outcomes in one or more of the
73	73	following categories:
74	74	(A) reduction of child abuse and neglect;
75	75	(B) child health;
76	76	(C) maternal health;
77	77	(D) reduction of family violence;
78	78	(E) child development;
79	79	(F) family economic self-sufficiency;
80	80	(G) completion of maternal follow-up and
81	81	well-child visits with health care providers;
82	82	(H) appropriate use of a health care facility's
83	83	emergency department; and
84	84	(I) increase in positive parenting practices;
85	85	(10) require that home nursing visits:
86	86	(A) are offered in partnership with the newborn
87	87	caregiver's attending obstetrician or gynecologist, maternal
88	88	health provider, or birthing hospital, if applicable; and
89	89	(B) begin not later than the later of six weeks
90	90	postpartum or six weeks after a newborn is discharged from a newborn
91	91	intensive care unit; and
92	92	(11) be provided for a period of at least two years.
93	93	Sec. 32.204. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. (a) A public or
94	94	private entity, including a county, municipality, or other
95	95	political subdivision of this state, may apply for a grant under
96	96	this subchapter.
97	97	(b) To apply for a grant, an applicant must submit a written
98	98	application to the commission on a form prescribed by executive
99	99	commissioner rule in accordance with this section.
100	100	(c) The application form must:
101	101	(1) require the applicant to provide:
102	102	(A) data on the number of births by hospital
103	103	located in the defined service area in which the applicant proposes
104	104	to operate; and
105	105	(B) a description of existing services available
106	106	to newborn caregivers in the community;
107	107	(2) describe the processes the commission uses to
108	108	monitor and evaluate grant recipients on an ongoing basis under
109	109	Section 32.208, including the grant recipient's obligations to:
110	110	(A) collect and provide information requested by
111	111	the commission; and
112	112	(B) adhere to the evidence-based model selected
113	113	by the commission;
114	114	(3) require the applicant to outline the applicant's
115	115	plan to collaborate and strengthen relationships with health care
116	116	and social service providers to ensure the applicant's ability to
117	117	effectively connect newborn caregivers and the caregivers'
118	118	families to other community services when needed; and
119	119	(4) describe the applicant's plan for enrolling
120	120	newborn caregivers, including how the applicant will partner with
121	121	birthing hospitals and local maternal health care and pediatric
122	122	health care providers.
123	123	Sec. 32.205. GRANT AWARD REQUIREMENTS. In determining
124	124	whether to award a grant to an applicant under this subchapter, the
125	125	commission shall consider the applicant's demonstrated capacity to
126	126	provide home nursing visitation services to newborn caregivers in
127	127	the defined service area in which the applicant proposes to provide
128	128	services, which may be determined by considering:
129	129	(1) the applicant's ability to:
130	130	(A) participate in ongoing monitoring and
131	131	performance evaluations under Section 32.208, including the
132	132	applicant's ability to collect and provide information requested by
133	133	the commission;
134	134	(B) comply with program standards; and
135	135	(C) develop broad-based community support and
136	136	leverage philanthropic support to implement or expand home nursing
137	137	visitation services for newborn caregivers; and
138	138	(2) the applicant's history of developing and
139	139	sustaining innovative, high-quality home nursing visitation
140	140	services for newborn caregivers that meet the needs of families and
141	141	communities.
142	142	Sec. 32.206. WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH GRANT RECIPIENT
143	143	REQUIRED. Before awarding a grant under this subchapter, the
144	144	commission shall enter into a written agreement with each applicant
145	145	to be awarded a grant that requires the grant recipient to repay
146	146	this state, in accordance with terms specified in the agreement,
147	147	if:
148	148	(1) the commission determines the grant recipient has
149	149	not complied with the minimum standards and reporting requirements
150	150	prescribed by this subchapter or rules adopted under this
151	151	subchapter or with any other applicable rules or standards
152	152	prescribed by the executive commissioner or the commission; or
153	153	(2) the grant recipient fails to use the grant money
154	154	for the purposes for which the grant was awarded, in accordance with
155	155	Section 32.207.
156	156	Sec. 32.207. USE OF GRANT MONEY. Grant money awarded under
157	157	this subchapter may be used only to cover costs related to the grant
158	158	recipient administering, implementing, or expanding home nursing
159	159	visitation services for newborn caregivers, including costs
160	160	related to:
161	161	(1) administering the home nursing visitation
162	162	services;
163	163	(2) training and managing registered nurses and other
164	164	staff who participate in providing the home nursing visitation
165	165	services;
166	166	(3) paying the salaries and expenses of registered
167	167	nurses and other required staff members who are essential to
168	168	delivering the home nursing visitation services;
169	169	(4) paying for facilities and equipment for providing
170	170	the home nursing visitation services; and
171	171	(5) paying for technical assistance to ensure a grant
172	172	recipient adheres to the evidence-based model selected by the
173	173	commission.
174	174	Sec. 32.208. GRANT RECIPIENT MONITORING AND EVALUATION;
175	175	ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The commission shall:
176	176	(1) adopt performance indicators designed to measure a
177	177	grant recipient's performance with respect to the program standards
178	178	adopted by executive commissioner rule that align with the
179	179	evidence-based model selected by the commission; and
180	180	(2) use the performance indicators to continuously
181	181	monitor and formally evaluate on an annual basis the performance of
182	182	each grant recipient.
183	183	(b) Not later than December 1 of each year, the commission
184	184	shall prepare and submit a written report to the standing
185	185	committees of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the
186	186	commission regarding the performance of each grant recipient during
187	187	the preceding state fiscal year with respect to providing program
188	188	services and improving outcomes for newborns and their families.
189	189	Sec. 32.209. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM FUNDING. (a) The
190	190	commission shall seek and apply for any available federal and state
191	191	money, including money available for Medicaid or the Children's
192	192	Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to assist in financing the
193	193	program.
194	194	(b) The commission shall consult, collaborate, and
195	195	coordinate with health benefit plan issuers in this state,
196	196	including Medicaid managed care organizations, to identify
197	197	existing incentives and reimbursement strategies that could expand
198	198	the program.
199	199	(c) The commission may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
200	200	donations to operate the program.
201	201	SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
202	202	date of this Act, the Health and Human Services Commission shall
203	203	apply for any available federal money to finance the grant program
204	204	established by Subchapter G, Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, as
205	205	added by this Act.
206	206	(b) Not later than September 1, 2022, the Health and Human
207	207	Services Commission shall establish and implement the grant program
208	208	established by Subchapter G, Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, as
209	209	added by this Act.
210	210	(c) Not later than September 1, 2022, the executive
211	211	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall
212	212	adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter G, Chapter 32, Health
213	213	and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
214	214	(d) Not later than December 1, 2022, the Health and Human
215	215	Services Commission shall submit a written report to the standing
216	216	committees of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the
217	217	commission regarding the implementation and status of the grant
218	218	program described by Subchapter G, Chapter 32, Health and Safety
219	219	Code, as added by this Act.
220	220	(e) Not later than December 1, 2023, the Health and Human
221	221	Services Commission shall submit the initial report required by
222	222	Section 32.208, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
223	223	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.