Bill Text: FL S0414 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Prostate Cancer Awareness Program
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-06 - Read 2nd time -SJ 1119 [S0414 Detail]
Download: Florida-2011-S0414-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Prostate Cancer Awareness Program
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-06 - Read 2nd time -SJ 1119 [S0414 Detail]
Download: Florida-2011-S0414-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2011 SB 414
By Senator Oelrich
14-00626-11 2011414__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Prostate Cancer Awareness
3 Program; amending s. 381.911, F.S.; revising the
4 structure and objectives of the Prostate Cancer
5 Awareness Program; authorizing the University of
6 Florida Prostate Disease Center, in collaboration with
7 other organizations and institutions, to establish a
8 prostate cancer task force to replace the advisory
9 committee; providing for membership and duties of the
10 task force; requiring an annual report to the
11 Governor, Legislature, and State Surgeon General;
12 providing an effective date.
13
14 WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that prostate cancer is
15 a major public health problem and that promoting awareness of
16 this disease is in the public interest of this state, and
17 WHEREAS, according to the Department of Health’s Florida
18 Cancer Plan 2003-2006, prostate cancer was the most commonly
19 diagnosed cancer in Florida, accounting for one in every four
20 cancer diagnoses, and
21 WHEREAS, the costs for screening, staging, and treating
22 prostate cancer patients in both dollars and morbidity continue
23 to rise and threaten the foundation of this state’s health
24 system, and
25 WHEREAS, because African-American men are 2.8 times more
26 likely to succumb to prostate cancer than their Caucasian
27 counterparts, a call for action is mandatory, and
28 WHEREAS, there are currently no organized, active, or
29 effective strategies to improve community education and
30 awareness regarding the rising incidence of and the racial and
31 ethnic disparities related to prostate cancer, and
32 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it in the public
33 interest for state agencies and institutions to work with the
34 University of Florida Prostate Disease Center to establish the
35 prostate cancer task force to more effectively serve the needs
36 of the people of Florida, NOW, THEREFORE,
37
38 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
39
40 Section 1. Section 381.911, Florida Statutes, is amended to
41 read:
42 381.911 Prostate Cancer Awareness Program.—
43 (1) To the extent that funds are specifically made
44 available for this purpose, the Prostate Cancer Awareness
45 Program is established within the Department of Health. The
46 purpose of this program is to implement the recommendations of
47 January 2000 of the Florida Prostate Cancer Task Force to
48 provide for statewide outreach, promote prostate cancer
49 awareness, communicate the advantages of early detection, report
50 recent progress in prostate cancer research and the availability
51 of clinical trials, minimize health disparities through outreach
52 and education, communicate best practices principles to
53 physicians involved in the care of prostate cancer patients, and
54 establish a communication platform for patients and their
55 advocates and health education activities to ensure that men are
56 aware of and appropriately seek medical counseling for prostate
57 cancer as an early-detection health care measure.
58 (2) For purposes of implementing the program, the
59 University of Florida Prostate Disease Center may work with
60 other agencies, organizations, and institutions to create a
61 systematic approach to community education and increase public
62 awareness regarding prostate cancer by Department of Health and
63 the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc., may:
64 (a) Conducting Conduct activities directly or entering
65 enter into a contract with a qualified nonprofit community
66 education entities entity.
67 (b) Seeking Seek any available gifts, grants, or funds from
68 the state, the Federal Government, philanthropic foundations,
69 and industry or business groups.
70 (3) The University of Florida Prostate Disease Center
71 (UFPDC) shall establish the UFPDC Prostate Cancer Task Force and
72 lead the task force in developing and implementing strategies to
73 improve outreach and education and thereby reduce the number of
74 patients who develop prostate cancer. A prostate cancer advisory
75 committee is created to advise and assist the Department of
76 Health and the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc., in
77 implementing the program.
78 (a) The Executive Director of the University of Florida
79 Prostate Disease Center shall appoint, in consultation with the
80 Department of Health’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, the
81 Florida Cancer Control Program, and the State Surgeon General, a
82 geographically and institutionally diverse task force, which
83 shall appoint the advisory committee members, who shall consist
84 of:
85 1. Two Three persons from prostate cancer survivor groups
86 or cancer-related advocacy groups.
87 2. Four Three persons, one of whom is a physician licensed
88 under chapter 458, one of whom is a physician licensed under
89 chapter 459, one of whom is a scientist, and one of whom is the
90 Executive Director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease
91 Center or a designee who are scientists or clinicians from
92 public universities or research organizations.
93 3. Three persons who are engaged in the practice of a
94 cancer-related medical specialty from health organizations
95 committed to cancer research and control.
96 (b) Members shall serve as volunteers without compensation
97 but are entitled to reimbursement, pursuant to s. 112.061, for
98 per diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of
99 their official duties.
100 (c) Each member of the task force shall be appointed to a
101 4-year term; however, for the purpose of providing staggered
102 terms, of the initial appointments, four members shall be
103 appointed to 2-year terms and four members shall be appointed to
104 4-year terms. The remaining seat shall be filled by the
105 Executive Director of the University of Florida Prostate Disease
106 Center or a designee.
107 (d) The task force shall meet annually and at other times
108 at the call of the Executive Director of the University of
109 Florida Prostate Disease Center or by a majority vote of the
110 members of the task force.
111 (e) Five of the members of the task force constitute a
112 quorum, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the members
113 present is required for final action.
114 (f) The task force shall:
115 1. Present prostate-cancer-related policy recommendations
116 to the Department of Health and other appropriate governmental
117 entities.
118 2. Verify the accuracy of prostate cancer information
119 disseminated to the public.
120 3. Develop effective communication channels among all
121 private and public entities in the state involved in prostate
122 cancer education, research, treatment, and patient advocacy.
123 4. Plan, develop, and implement activities designed to
124 heighten awareness and educate residents of the state,
125 especially those in underserved areas, regarding the importance
126 of prostate cancer awareness.
127 5. Disseminate information about recent progress in
128 prostate cancer research and the availability of clinical
129 trials.
130 6. Minimize health disparities through outreach and
131 education.
132 7. Communicate best practices principles to physicians
133 involved in the care of patients with prostate cancer.
134 8. Establish a communication platform for patients and
135 their advocates.
136 9. Work with other institutions and organizations to
137 develop and maintain a prostate cancer registry that is an
138 automated, electronic, and centralized database of persons in
139 the state who are diagnosed with and treated for prostate
140 cancer.
141 10. Establish a tissue bank to enable research that could
142 result in new therapies and potential cures for persons
143 diagnosed with prostate cancer.
144 11. Solicit grants or philanthropic funding to conduct an
145 annual prostate cancer symposium that brings physicians,
146 researchers, community leaders, prostate cancer survivors, and
147 prostate cancer advocates together to highlight recent advances
148 in prostate cancer research, clinical trials, and best practices
149 used for the prevention of the prostate cancer and to promote
150 strategies for successful rural and urban outreach, community
151 education, and increased awareness.
152 12. Submit and present an annual report to the Governor,
153 the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
154 Representatives, and the State Surgeon General by January 15,
155 2012, and by January 15 of each following year, which contains
156 recommendations for legislative changes necessary to decrease
157 the incidence of prostate cancer, decrease racial and ethnic
158 disparities among persons diagnosed with prostate cancer, and
159 promote increased community education and awareness regarding
160 this disease.
161 (4) The program shall coordinate its efforts with those of
162 the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc.
163 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.
