SF 2824

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/05/2016 08:51am

A bill for an act
relating to health care; developing pilot programs to increase early preventive
dental intervention and care for infants, toddlers, and school-aged children;
requiring a report; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

[144.0615] STATEWIDE SCHOOL-BASED SEALANT GRANT
PROGRAM.

(a) The commissioner of health shall develop a statewide coordinated dental sealant
program to improve access to preventive dental services for school-aged children. The
program shall focus on developing the data tools necessary to identify the public schools
in the state with students ages six to nine who are in the greatest need of preventive dental
care based on the percentage of students who are low-income and who are either enrolled
in a public health care program or uninsured, and have no access to a school-based sealant
program. In creating this program, the commissioner shall develop an implementation
plan that identifies statewide needs, establishes outcome measures, and provides an
evaluation process based on the outcome measures established.

(b) The commissioner shall award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide
school-based sealant programs. The grants shall be available to expand existing
school-based sealant programs and to create new programs in schools that have been
identified as underserved high-risk schools.

(c) By March 15, 2018, the commissioner shall submit a report to the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health care,
describing the implementation plan, including the data tools developed, the outcome
measures, the number of grants awarded, and the location of the schools participating in
the grants and the results of the evaluation of the program in terms of improving access to
sealants for school-aged children ages six to nine.

Sec. 2. EARLY DENTAL PREVENTION PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) The commissioner of health shall develop and implement a pilot program to
increase awareness and encourage early preventive dental intervention for infants and
toddlers. The commissioner shall award grants to five designated communities of color
or recent immigrants to participate in the pilot program, with at least two designated
communities located in the nonmetropolitan area.

(b) The commissioner, in consultation with members of the designated communities,
shall distribute or cause to be distributed the educational materials and information
developed under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.061, to expectant and new parents within
the designated communities, including, but not limited to, making the materials available
to health care providers, community clinics, WIC sites, and other relevant sites within
the designated communities through a variety of communicative means, including oral,
visual, audio, and print.

(c) The commissioner shall work with members of each designated community to
ensure that the educational materials and information are distributed. The commissioner
shall assist the designated community with developing strategies, including outreach
through ethnic radio, webcasts, and local cable programs, and incentives to encourage
and provide early preventive dental intervention and care for infants and toddlers that are
geared toward the ethnic groups residing in the designated community.

(d) The commissioner shall develop measurable outcomes, establish a baseline
measurement, and evaluate performance within each designated community in order
to measure whether the educational materials, information, strategies, and incentives
increased the numbers of infants and toddlers receiving early preventive dental
intervention and care.

(e) By March 15, 2018, the commissioner shall submit a report to the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health
care. The report shall describe:

(1) the details of the program;

(2) the communities designated for the program;

(3) the strategies, including any incentives implemented;

(4) the outcome measures used; and

(5) the results of the evaluation for each designated community.

Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.

(a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2017 from the general fund to the
commissioner of health to implement the statewide school-based sealant program under
Minnesota Statutes, section 144.0615.

(b) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2017 from the general fund to the
commissioner of health to implement the pilot program to increase awareness and
encourage early preventive dental intervention and care for infants and toddlers.