Bill Text: FL S0732 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness [SPSC]

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Health Regulation [S0732 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-S0732-Introduced.html

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Florida Senate - 2010                                     SB 732 
 
By Senator Bullard 
39-00741-10                                            2010732__ 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to sudden unexpected infant death; 
3         creating the “Stillbirth and SUID Education and 
4         Awareness Act”; defining terms; providing legislative 
5         findings; requiring the State Surgeon General to 
6         prepare and implement a public health awareness and 
7         education campaign in order to provide information 
8         that is focused on decreasing the risk factors for 
9         sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained 
10         death in childhood; requiring the State Surgeon 
11         General to conduct a needs assessment of the state for 
12         the availability of personnel, training, technical 
13         assistance, and resources for investigating and 
14         determining sudden unexpected infant death and sudden 
15         unexplained death in childhood; requiring the 
16         Department of Health to make recommendations for 
17         increasing collaboration in the investigation and 
18         determination of sudden unexplained death in 
19         childhood; specifying the duties of the State Surgeon 
20         General relating to maternal and child health 
21         programs; requiring the State Surgeon General to 
22         establish a task force to develop a research plan to 
23         determine the causes of, and how to prevent, 
24         stillbirth in children; providing for the membership 
25         of the task force; providing for reimbursement of 
26         travel expenses; requiring that the department submit 
27         a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 
28         and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by a 
29         specified date; providing an effective date. 
30 
31  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
32 
33         Section 1. (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as 
34  the “Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness Act.” 
35         (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds that every 
36  year, there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United 
37  States. The common diagnosable causes for stillbirth include 
38  genetic abnormalities, umbilical cord accidents, infections, and 
39  placental problems. A number of risk factors for stillbirth have 
40  been described in pregnant women such as maternal age, obesity, 
41  smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. Because of advances in 
42  medical care over the last 30 years, much more is known about 
43  the causes of stillbirth. But for as many as 50 percent of 
44  stillbirths, the cause is never identified. The rate of sudden 
45  infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been declining significantly 
46  since the early 1990s; however, research has found that the 
47  decline in SIDS since 1999 can be explained by increasing 
48  numbers of sudden unexpected infant death. Many sudden 
49  unexpected infant deaths are not investigated and, even when 
50  they are, cause-of-death data are not collected and reported 
51  consistently. Inaccurate or inconsistent classification of the 
52  cause and manner of death impedes prevention efforts and 
53  complicates the ability to understand risk factors related to 
54  these deaths. The National Child Death Review Case Reporting 
55  System collects comprehensive information on the risk factors 
56  associated with SUID deaths. As of March 2009, 29 of the 49 
57  states conducting child death reviews are voluntarily submitting 
58  data to this reporting system. 
59         (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 
60         (a) “Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)” means the 
61  sudden death of an infant younger than 1 year of age which, when 
62  first discovered, does not have an obvious cause. The term 
63  includes those deaths that are later determined to be from 
64  explained as well as unexplained causes. 
65         (b) “Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC)” means 
66  the sudden death of a child older than 1 year of age which 
67  remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, 
68  including a review of the clinical history and circumstances of 
69  death, and performance of a complete autopsy along with 
70  appropriate ancillary testing. 
71         (4) PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.— 
72         (a) The State Surgeon General shall establish and implement 
73  a culturally appropriate public health awareness and education 
74  campaign to provide information that is focused on decreasing 
75  the risk factors for sudden unexpected infant death and sudden 
76  unexplained death in childhood, including educating individuals 
77  about safe sleep environments, sleep positions, and reducing 
78  exposure to smoking during pregnancy and after the child’s 
79  birth. 
80         (b) The campaign shall be designed to reduce health 
81  disparities through focusing on populations that have high rates 
82  of sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained death 
83  in childhood. 
84         (c) When establishing and implementing the campaign, the 
85  State Surgeon General shall consult with state and national 
86  organizations representing health care providers, including 
87  nurses and physicians; parents; child care providers; children’s 
88  advocacy and safety organizations; maternal and child health 
89  programs; women’s, infants, and children nutrition 
90  professionals; and other individuals and groups determined 
91  necessary by the State Surgeon General. 
92         (5) EVALUATION OF STATE NEEDS.— 
93         (a) The State Surgeon General shall conduct a needs 
94  assessment in this state of the availability of personnel, 
95  training, technical assistance, and resources for investigating 
96  and determining sudden unexpected infant death and sudden 
97  unexplained death in childhood and make recommendations to 
98  increase collaboration for investigation and making 
99  determinations. 
100         (b) The State Surgeon General, in consultation with 
101  physicians, nurses, pathologists, geneticists, parents, and 
102  other groups, shall develop guidelines for increasing the 
103  performance and data collection of postmortem stillbirth 
104  evaluation, including conducting and providing reimbursement for 
105  autopsies, placental histopathlogy, and cytogentic testing. The 
106  guidelines should take into account culturally appropriate 
107  issues related to postmortem stillbirth evaluation. 
108         (c) The State Surgeon General, acting in consultation with 
109  health care providers, public health organizations, maternal and 
110  child health programs, parents, and other groups, shall: 
111         1.a. Develop behavioral surveys for women experiencing 
112  stillbirth, using existing state-based infrastructure for 
113  gathering pregnancy-related information; and 
114         b. Increase the technical assistance provided to local 
115  communities to enhance the capacity for improved investigation 
116  of medical and social factors surrounding stillbirth events. 
117         2. Directly or through cooperative agreements, develop and 
118  conduct evidence-based public education and prevention programs 
119  directed at reducing the occurrence of stillbirths overall and 
120  addressing the racial and ethnic disparities in its occurrence. 
121  The efforts shall include: 
122         a. Public education programs, services, and demonstrations 
123  that are designed to increase general awareness of stillbirths; 
124  and 
125         b. The development of tools for educating health 
126  professionals and women concerning the known risks factors for 
127  stillbirth, the promotion of fetal-movement awareness and taking 
128  proactive steps to monitor a baby’s movement beginning at 
129  approximately 28 weeks into the pregnancy, and the importance of 
130  early and regular prenatal care to monitor the health and 
131  development of the fetus up to and during delivery. 
132         (d) By September 1, 2010, the State Surgeon General shall 
133  establish a task force to develop a research plan to determine 
134  the causes of and how to prevent stillbirth. The State Surgeon 
135  General shall appoint the task force, which shall consist of 12 
136  members, as follows: 
137         1.� Three persons who are pediatric health care providers. 
138         2.� Three persons who are scientists or clinicians and 
139  selected from public universities or research organizations. 
140         3.� Three persons who are employed in maternal and child 
141  health programs. 
142         4.� Three parents. 
143 
144  Members shall serve without compensation, but are entitled to 
145  reimbursement pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for per 
146  diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their 
147  official duties. 
148         (6) REPORT.—By October 1, 2012, the State Surgeon General 
149  shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and 
150  the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report describing 
151  the progress made in implementing this section. 
152         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.