BILL NUMBER: AB 648 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Low
(Coauthor: Senator Nguyen)
FEBRUARY 24, 2015
An act to add Section 104755.5 to the Health and Safety
Code, 15438.11 to the Government Code,
relating to oral health, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 648, as amended, Low. Community-based services:
Health care access demonstration project grants:
Virtual Dental Home program.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and
sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the
administration of a state oral health program known as the Office of
Oral Health for the purposes of, among other things, establishing
community dental disease prevention programs for schoolaged children.
Existing law, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority
Act, establishes a program for the California Health Facilities
Authority to award grants that do not exceed $1,500,000 to one or
more projects designed to demonstrate specified new or enhanced
cost-effective methods of delivering quality health care services to
improve access to quality health care for vulnerable populations or
communities, or both, that are effective at enhancing health outcomes
and improving access to quality health care and preventive services.
Existing law requires the authority to prepare and provide a report
to the Legislature and the Governor on the outcomes of the
demonstration grant program that includes, among other information,
the total amount of grants issued and the amount of each grant
issued. Existing law establishes the California Health Facilities
Financing Authority Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for these
purposes.
This bill would establish the Virtual Dental Home grant
program Grant Program, to be administered by the
authority, to expand the virtual dental home (VDH)
model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of
this state who are in greatest need, as prescribed. The bill
would also create the California Virtual Dental Home Grant Program
Account (VDH account) within the California Health Facilities
Financing Authority Fund. The bill would require the program to
facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of
the delivery of dental health services through use of the
Virtual Dental Home VDH model by providing
grants to, among other things, develop training modules and establish
community-based learning collaboratives, as prescribed. The bill
would require the program administrator
authority to evaluate the grant program's progress toward
meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental home
VDH model of the community-based delivery of
dental care and to post the evaluation and a summary of the
evaluation, as specified. The bill would transfer up to
$6,500,000 from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority
Hospital Equipment Loan Program Fund to the VDH account for the
purposes of the bill. By expanding the purposes for which a
continuously appropriated fund may be used, this bill would make an
appropriation.
The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 to the department for the
purposes of this program.
This bill would become operative only if SB 315 is enacted and
takes effect on or before January 1, 2016.
Vote: 2/3 majority . Appropriation:
yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 15438.11 is added to the
Government Code , to read:
15438.11. (a) (1) There is hereby created the California Virtual
Dental Home Grant Program Account in the California Health Facilities
Financing Authority Fund for the purpose of administering a
competitive grant selection process, in accordance with this section.
(2) An amount of up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) shall be
transferred from funds in the California Health Facilities Financing
Authority Hospital Equipment Loan Program that are not impressed
with a trust for other purposes into the California Virtual Dental
Home Grant Program Account for the purpose of administering a
competitive grant selection process pursuant to this section.
(b) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) Grant Program is hereby
established to expand the virtual dental home model of
community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this
state who are in greatest need. The program shall be administered by
the authority.
(c) The VDH Grant Program shall facilitate, coordinate, and
encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health
services through the use of the VDH model by providing grants to do
all of the following:
(1) Develop training modules and Internet-based technical
assistance.
(2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives.
(3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment.
(4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant
administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section.
(d) The authority may seek additional private or public funds to
expand access to the VDH Grant Program.
(e) The VDH Grant Program shall be focused on providing needed
services in geographic areas of highest need, as determined by the
authority.
(f) The authority may grant funds directly to public and private
educational institutions or nonprofit entities as required to meet
the requirements of this section.
(g) The authority shall evaluate the VDH Grant Program's progress
toward meeting the objective to expand the VDH model of the
community-based delivery of dental care to residents in geographic
areas of highest need. On or before January 1, 2020, the authority
shall post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation on its
Internet Web site.
SEC. 2. This act shall become operative only if
Senate Bill 315 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1,
2016.
SECTION 1. Section 104755.5 is added to the
Health and Safety Code, to read:
104755.5. (a) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) grant program is
hereby established to expand the virtual dental home model of
community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this
state who are in greatest need.
(b) The grant program shall be administered by the dentist
appointed to the State Department of Public Health, Oral Health Unit,
by the director pursuant to Section 104755.
(c) The VDH grant program shall facilitate, coordinate, and
encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health
services through the use of the Virtual Dental Home model by
providing grants to do all of the following:
(1) Develop training modules and Web-based technical assistance.
(2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives.
(3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment.
(4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant
administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section.
(d) The program administrator may seek additional private or
public funds to expand access to the VDH program.
(e) The VDH program shall be focused on providing needed services
in geographic areas of highest need, as determined by the program
administrator.
(f) The program administrator may grant funds directly to public
and private educational institutions or nonprofit entities as
required to meet the requirements of this section.
(g) The program administrator shall evaluate the grant program's
progress toward meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental
home model of the community-based delivery of dental care to
residents in geographic areas of highest need. Upon completion of the
evaluation, the program administrator shall post the evaluation and
a summary of the evaluation on the State Department of Public Health'
s Internet Web site.
SEC. 2. The sum of four million dollars
($4,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the
State Department of Public Health for the purposes of the Virtual
Dental Home (VDH) program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of
the Health and Safety Code.