HF 970

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/27/2015 09:13am

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a grant program to encourage advanced care
planning; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 145.

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

Section 1. new text begin CITATION.
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new text begin Minnesota Statutes, section 145.99, may be cited as the "Let's Talk Now Act."
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Sec. 2.

new text begin [145.99] ADVANCE CARE PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin For purposes of this section, "advance care planning"
means a process of communication between individuals and their families, caretakers,
and health care providers to identify, assess, and discuss end-of-life care values and
preferences in order to minimize confusion and to ensure that the individual's preferences
are honored when individuals are no longer able to speak for themselves.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Grants. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of health shall award grants to nonprofit
organizations to develop and implement comprehensive initiatives targeted to a designated
community, which may consist of a specific geographic area or population to encourage
advance care planning discussions among individuals, families, caregivers, and health
care providers.
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new text begin (b) The purpose of the grants is to:
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new text begin (1) increase societal awareness of the need for advance care planning among
individuals, families, caregivers, and health care providers within a community;
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new text begin (2) encourage and assist individuals, families, caregivers, and health care providers
to begin having or continue to have advance care planning discussions based on informed
choices and the needs and values of the individual; and
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new text begin (3) promote the availability and increase awareness of resources available to
individuals, families, caregivers, and health care providers who desire advance care
planning resources including, but not limited to, health care directives.
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new text begin (c) Grant initiatives must:
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new text begin (1) be based on best practices and public health research principles;
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new text begin (2) be based on community input, needs, and values; and
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new text begin (3) address health disparities and cultural differences that may exist within the
community to be served.
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new text begin (d) Applicants must submit a grant application to the commissioner by September
1, 2015. The application must:
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new text begin (1) describe the proposed initiative, including the targeted community and how the
initiative meets the requirements in this subdivision;
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new text begin (2) identify the proposed outcomes of the initiative and the evaluation process to
be used to measure these outcomes; and
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new text begin (3) identify technical assistance and oversight needs, including technical expertise,
and assistance in developing possible strategies based on the community to be served.
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new text begin (e) The commissioner shall award the grants by October 1, 2015.
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new text begin (f) Each grant recipient shall report to the commissioner on the progress of the
initiative at least once during the grant period and shall submit a final report to the
commissioner within two months of the end of the grant period that includes the outcome
results.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Technical and oversight assistance. new text end

new text begin (a) By August 1, 2015, the
commissioner shall award a grant to a statewide advance care planning resource
organization that has expertise in community-based advance care planning initiatives to
provide planning assistance to potential grant applicants and continued assistance during
the implementation of the initiatives.
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new text begin (b) The grantee must be able to provide:
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new text begin (1) advice on developing and implementing community-specific strategies that use
methodologies with demonstrated success;
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new text begin (2) data and information to assist in developing measurable outcomes and an
effective evaluation;
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new text begin (3) assistance in evaluating an initiative in order to determine whether the outcomes
have been met;
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new text begin (4) advice on best practices or approaches on how to engage multicultural
communities and faith-based organizations; and
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new text begin (5) training and other technical assistance that may be requested by grantees,
including community engagement, clinical readiness training, and capacity building.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the statewide advance
care planning resource organization that was awarded the grant under subdivision 3, shall
submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of
representatives committees and divisions with jurisdiction over health care finance and
policy on the advance care planning grant program by February 15, 2017.
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new text begin (b) The report shall include:
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new text begin (1) information on each grantee awarded a grant under subdivision 2, including the
targeted communities and the initiatives that were conducted using the grant funds;
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new text begin (2) the measurable outcomes established by each grantee and the evaluation process
used to determine whether the outcomes were met, including the results of the evaluation;
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new text begin (3) the overall impact of the initiatives that were conducted, including the financial
impact on state health care costs, if available; and
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new text begin (4) recommendations on further state action in order to continue to encourage the
use of advance care planning.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Certain practices not condoned. new text end

new text begin Nothing in this section shall be
construed to condone, authorize, or approve mercy killing, euthanasia, or assisted suicide.
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Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
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new text begin $....... is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2017, from the general
fund to the commissioner of health for the advance care planning grant program under
Minnesota Statutes, section 145.99. Up to ... percent of this appropriation may be used by
the commissioner for the technical assistance and oversight grant described in Minnesota
Statutes, section 145.99, subdivision 3.
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