Bill Text: CA SB639 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 639 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Medical professionals: course requirements.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)

Status: (Passed) 2024-09-21 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 336, Statutes of 2024. [SB639 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB639-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly June 15, 2023

Amended IN Senate March 20, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 639

Introduced by Senator Limón

February 16, 2023

An act to amend ~~Section 125275~~ Sections 125275 and 125280 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to Alzheimer’s disease.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 639, as amended, Limón. Alzheimer’s disease.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to administer grants to postsecondary higher educational institutions that establish diagnostic and treatment centers for Alzheimer’s disease, and requires the grant funds to be used for purposes of those diagnostic and treatment centers, as specified. Existing law makes various findings and declarations regarding Alzheimer’s ~~disease.~~ disease and related disorders.

This bill would revise those provisions, including replacing references to “diagnostic and treatment centers” with “diagnostic hubs,” and “related disorders” and “dementia” with “related conditions.” The bill would add additional findings and declarations regarding the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia over the next 20 years and encouraging the development of diagnostic hubs for Alzheimer’s disease. The bill would declare the purpose of the diagnostic hubs to be, among other things, to increase the training of health care professionals with respect to Alzheimer’s disease and other acquired brain impairments by expanding educational relationships that support primary care, develop thorough care plans, and improve diagnostics so that health care professionals have the requisite training and expertise to know when to refer and feel comfortable with detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

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

SECTION 1.

Section 125275 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

125275.

(a) The Legislature finds that Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating disease that destroys certain vital cells of the brain, affects more than 6,500,000 Americans. The Legislature also finds that the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and ~~dementia~~ related conditions over the next 20 years will increase dramatically. Longer life expectancies and the aging of the large baby boom cohort will lead to an increase in the number and percentage of Californians who will be 65 years of age and older. Because the primary risk factor is older age, substantial increase is anticipated in the numbers of people who will be living with Alzheimer’s disease, and due to the higher prevalence of the Alzheimer’s in the Black and Latino/a/x communities, these communities will see their rates triple. The Legislature recognizes that the disease has serious emotional, financial, and social consequences for its victims and their families.

(b) The Legislature recognizes that the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is presently unknown. However, with significant state and federal investment, clinical treatments are being developed that can slow disease progression and offer the promise of more time. The Legislature finds that existing diagnostic ~~and treatment centers~~ hubs have improved the quality of care available to the victims of Alzheimer’s disease and increased knowledge with respect to Alzheimer’s disease and related ~~disorders.~~ conditions. These ~~centers~~ diagnostic hubs provide clinical opportunities for research and facilitate the collection of essential data regarding Alzheimer’s disease and related ~~disorders,~~ conditions, while at the same time providing valuable services such as information and referral, counseling, and training to victims and their families. It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this article, to encourage the establishment of geographically dispersed diagnostic hubs for Alzheimer’s disease within every postsecondary higher educational institution with a medical center, as well as satellite locations that will serve regions without a postsecondary higher educational institution with a medical center, which will serve as diagnostic hubs for their regions.

(1) To provide diagnostic and treatment services and improve the quality of care to patients living with Alzheimer’s ~~disease.~~ disease and related conditions.

(2) To increase the training of health care professionals with respect to Alzheimer’s disease and ~~other acquired brain impairments~~ related conditions by expanding educational relationships between diagnostic hubs and primary care providers and practitioners that support primary care, develop thorough care plans, and improve diagnostics so that health care professionals have the requisite training and expertise to know when to refer and feel comfortable with detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related ~~dementia.~~ conditions.

(3) To continue and expand upon the cognitive health assessment training and validated tool for Medi-Cal beneficiaries as outlined in Section 14132.171 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(4) To create capacity through the work of the hubs to secure access to new Alzheimer’s and related ~~dementia~~ condition clinical therapies coming to the ~~market.~~ market, consistent with federal requirements.

(d) The diagnostic hubs may collaborate with relevant state departments to provide, where relevant, expertise related to state or federal research, and training, monitoring, consultation, and continuing education to the families of those who are affected by Alzheimer’s ~~disease.~~ disease and related conditions.

SEC. 2.

Section 125280 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

125280.

(a) Any postsecondary higher educational institution with a medical center may establish diagnostic ~~and treatment centers~~ hubs for Alzheimer’s disease subject to the department’s grants review process.

(b) The department shall administer grants to postsecondary higher educational institutions that establish diagnostic ~~and treatment centers~~ hubs pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c)Funds appropriated for the purposes of this article by the Statutes of 1987 shall first be used to maintain and enhance, as determined by the department, existing centers and to prevent program cutbacks under subdivision (b).
~~(d)~~

(c) Alzheimer’s disease grants for the purpose of establishing a diagnostic ~~and treatment center~~ hub shall be used only for the purposes of this article, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Salary and benefits for faculty, residents, fellows, and staff of the diagnostic ~~and treatment center.~~ hub.

(2) Costs of supplies and equipment.

(3) Research grants for faculty research to discover the cause of, and a cure for, Alzheimer’s disease.

(4) Research grants for students, residents, and fellows.

(5) General administrative costs of up to 8 percent of the total grant.

~~(e)~~

(d) The department shall establish criteria for requests for Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic ~~and treatment center~~ hub grants and Alzheimer’s disease research grants, and for program evaluation.

~~(f)~~

(e) No grant awarded pursuant to this article shall be approved for any amount that exceeds 25 percent of the total amount of funds appropriated for this purpose in the 1987–88 Regular Session of the Legislature.

~~(g)~~

(f) The department shall administer a grant program for the purpose of research into the causes, treatment, cure, strategies for coping with, prevention, incidence, and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related ~~disorders.~~ conditions. Priority shall be given to grant applications for feasibility studies, startup grants, and matching funds for federal and privately funded research grants. Consideration shall be given to proposals that link service delivery and collect data relative to patient care and the delivery of social services. This research may include, but is not limited to, examinations and recommendations for the improvement of the family, community-based and health care support systems available to Alzheimer’s disease victims, and their caregivers.

~~(h)~~

(g) Upon request, the department shall make available to the Legislature information regarding the progress of the grant programs established pursuant to this article.

~~(i)~~

(h) The department shall reduce any grant pursuant to this article by the amount of any federal funds available for the same purposes to the same grantee.