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AB-2653 Communicable disease: prevention and control.(2023-2024)



Current Version: 03/21/24 - Amended Assembly

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AB2653:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2653

Introduced by Assembly Member Lackey

February 14, 2024

An act to amend Section 120100 of add Section 120156 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to communicable disease.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2653, as amended, Lackey. Communicable disease: prevention and control.
Existing law, the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act, imposes various functions and duties on the State Department of Public Health and local health officers with respect to the prevention and control of communicable diseases. Under the act, a health officer includes county, city, and district health officers, and city and district health boards, but not advisory health boards.

This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.

This bill would require the department to aggregate data related to overall vaccine coverage rates in skilled nursing facilities serving veterans and seniors and the preparedness of those facilities to respond to viral illnesses, as defined, and related post-viral illnesses. The bill would require the department to use existing data, reports, and studies in meeting these data aggregation requirements. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Health that outlines the preparedness of skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors to respond to viral illnesses and related post-viral illnesses, the financial impact of these conditions on individuals and the state, and health data trends of demographic groups and geographic areas of the state experiencing the highest levels of viral illness. The bill would require the department to disseminate best practices related to increasing coverage rates of recommended vaccines at skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors, improving the preparedness of those facilities to prevent and treat viral illnesses, and implementing specified treatment protocols. The bill would require the department identify and pursue any available federal funding to incentivize and reward skilled nursing facilities for the improvement of overall coverage rates of recommended vaccines for the prevention and treatment of viral illnesses.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 120156 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

120156.
 (a) Using data already acquired by the State Department of Public Health and existing studies and reports, the department shall aggregate data on both the following:
(1) The overall vaccine coverage rates in skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors.
(2) Preparedness of skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors to respond to viral illnesses and related post-viral illnesses.
(b) The department shall submit a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Health that contains all of the following information in a manner that complies with Section 9795 of the Government Code:
(1) The preparedness of the state’s network of skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors to respond to viral illnesses and related post-viral illnesses.
(2) The financial impact on individuals affected by viral illnesses and the effects of post-viral illnesses, and any costs borne by the state in treating those individuals.
(3) Health data trends on demographic groups or geographic areas of the state experiencing the highest levels of viral illness.
(c) The department shall disseminate, through the most cost-effective means available, such as all facilities letters, suggested best practices for both of the following:
(1) Increasing overall coverage rates of recommended vaccines at skilled nursing facilities that serve veterans and seniors and improving the preparedness of those facilities to prevent and treat viral illnesses.
(2) Implementing treatment protocols for the mental, physical, and behavioral effects of viral illnesses that are particularly prevalent among veterans and seniors.
(d) The department shall identify and pursue any available federal funding to incentivize and reward skilled nursing facilities for the improvement of overall coverage rates of recommended vaccines for the prevention and treatment of viral illnesses.
(e) For purposes of this section, “viral illnesses” includes, but is not limited to, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

SECTION 1.Section 120100 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
120100.

“Health officer,” as used in the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act as set forth in Section 27, includes county, city, and district health officers, and city and district health boards, but does not include advisory health boards.