Amendment #1 to H.1935

HOUSE . . . . . . . No. 4503

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 26, 2020.

The committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Bill relative to strengthening the local and regional public health system (House, No. 1935), reports recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting therefor the accompanying bill (House, No. 4503).

For the committee,

AARON MICHLEWITZ.

FILED ON: 2/26/2020

HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4503

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act relative to strengthening the local and regional public health system.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 27C the following section:-

Section 27D. (a) The department shall establish a state action for public health excellence program to encourage boards of health, as defined in section 27B, and regional health districts, established pursuant to said section 27B, to adopt practices that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of local public health services. Local public health services shall include, but not be limited to, communicable disease control, chronic disease and injury prevention, environmental public health, maternal, child and family health and access to and linkage with clinical care. The program shall promote and provide resources for boards of health and regional health districts, including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) elevating the standards to improve the performance of boards of health and regional health districts;

(ii) increasing cross-jurisdictional sharing of public health services to strengthen service delivery capabilities of boards of health and regional health districts;

(iii) improving boards of health and regional health districts’ planning and system accountability, including how data is reported and analyzed;

(iv) establishing workforce standards, including, but not limited to, education and training standards for board of health and regional health district officials and staff; and

(v) expanding access to professional development.

(b) Subject to appropriation, the department shall provide public health educational and training opportunities to board of health and regional health district officials and staff, no less than 4 times per year, in diverse geographic locations. The department shall provide such opportunities free of charge.

(c) Subject to appropriation, the department shall establish a state action for public health excellence grant program. Boards of health and regional health districts may apply for funding and technical assistance to support:

(i) the implementation of regional, inter-municipal collaboration and to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of local public health services; or

(ii) planning and capacity building to facilitate regional collaboration or other strategies to implement regional collaboration.

Funds shall be awarded on a competitive basis and shall supplement and not replace existing state, local, private or federal funding to boards of health and regional health districts. To be eligible to receive funds an applicant shall submit an application in a manner determined by the department, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following information: (i) a description of how the applicant, if awarded a grant, will increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public health services across 2 or more municipalities; (ii) certification that the applicant, at the time of the application, meets workforce standards as determined by the department; (iii) certification that the applicant shall submit written documentation on the implementation of systems to increase efficiency in providing local public health services, including data, to the department at the end of the grant year, in a manner to be prescribed by the department; and (iv) a plan for the long-term sustainability of strengthening local public health services. The department may offer grantees an option to renew at the end of each grant year.

The department shall adopt rules, regulations or guidelines for the administration and enforcement of this section including, but not limited to, establishing applicant selection criteria, funding priorities, application forms and procedures, grant distribution and other requirements; provided, that not less than 33 per cent of the grants awarded shall go to cities and towns with a median household income below the average of the commonwealth.

(d) Annually, the department shall submit a report detailing the program’s impact, including, but not limited to: (i) the number of board of health and regional health district officials and staff that meet workforce standards; (ii) the number of board of health and regional health district officials and staff that attended educational and training opportunities; (iii) the number of boards of health and regional health districts that are compliant with data reporting requirements; and (iv) the number of boards of health and regional health districts participating in regional collaboration. The report shall be provided to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on public health.

SECTION 2. (a) The department of public health shall, in consultation with the special commission on local and regional public health, as established in chapter 3 of the resolves of 2016, develop a set of minimum standards for foundational public health services for the commonwealth. For the purposes of this section, foundational public health services shall include, but not be limited to, local public health services, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27D of chapter 111 of the General Laws, and workforce standards necessary to protect the community’s health and achieve equitable health outcomes. The department of public health and special commission on local and regional public health shall consider recommendations from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Public Health Leadership Forum and other relevant experts.

(b) No later than March 1, 2022, the department shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on public health. The report shall include an analysis of needs, opportunities, challenges, timeline and cost analysis for the implementation of foundational public health services.

SECTION 3. The special commission on local and regional public health, established in chapter 3 of the resolves of 2016 is hereby revived and continued.