Amended in Senate August 1, 2016

Amended in Senate September 1, 2015

Amended in Senate June 29, 2015

Amended in Senate June 11, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 648

Introduced by Assembly Member Low

(Coauthor: Senator Nguyen)

February 24, 2015

An act to add Section begin delete 15438.11 to the Government end delete begin insert 104755.5 to the Health and Safety end insert Code, relating to oral health, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 648, as amended, Low. Health care access demonstration project grants: Virtual Dental Home begin delete program. end delete begin insert Grant Program. end insert

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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.

end delete begin insert

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, developing comprehensive dental health plans within the framework of the State Plan for Health to maximize utilization of all resources.

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This bill would establish the Virtual Dental Home Grant Program, to begin delete be administered by the authority, to expand end delete begin insert allocate funds, under the direction of the state dental director, for end insert the virtual dental home (VDH) model of community-based begin delete delivery of end delete dental care begin delete to the residents of this state who are in greatest end delete begin insert in geographic areas of highest end insert need, as prescribed. begin delete The bill would also create the California Virtual Dental Home Grant Program Account (VDH account) within the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund. end delete The bill would require the program to begin delete facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through use of the VDH model by providing grants to, end delete begin insert allocate the grants to organizations to, end insert among other things, develop training modules and establish community-based learning collaboratives, as prescribed. begin delete The bill would require the authority to evaluate the grant program’s progress toward meeting the objective to expand the VDH model of the community-based delivery of dental care and to post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation, as specified. end delete begin insert The bill would require organizations receiving grants to submit an evaluation on the effectiveness of the program to the department and would authorize the department to post the evaluations on its Internet Web site. end insert The bill would begin delete transfer up to $6,500,000 from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Hospital Equipment Loan Program Fund to the VDH account end delete begin insert appropriate $4,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Public Health end insert for the purposes of the bill. begin delete By expanding the purposes for which a continuously appropriated fund may be used, this bill would make an appropriation. end delete

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This bill would become operative only if SB 315 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2016.

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Vote:  begin delete majority end delete begin insert ²⁄₃ end insert . Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section begin delete 15438.11 end delete begin insert 104755.5 end insert is added to the begin delete Government end delete begin insert Health and Safety end insert Code, to read:

begin delete

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:

end delete

begin insert

begin insert 104755.5. end insert   

end insert begin insert

(a) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) Grant Program
is hereby established to allocate funds for the virtual dental home
model of community-based dental care.

end insert begin insert

(b) Under the direction of the state dental director, the program
shall allocate grants to organizations to do one or more of the
following:

end insert

(1) Develop training modules and Internet-based technical
assistance.

(2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives.

(3) Fund begin delete essential VDH technology and equipment. end delete begin insert technology
and equipment essential to establishing VDH delivery models. end insert

(4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the begin delete grant
administrator, as required end delete begin insert state dental director end insert to meet the
requirements of this section.

begin delete

(d) The authority may seek additional private or public funds
to expand access to the VDH Grant Program.

end delete begin delete

(e) The VDH Grant Program shall be focused on

end delete

begin insert (c) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Under the direction of the state dental director, the program
shall focus on end insert providing needed services in geographic areas of
highest need, as determined by the begin delete authority. end delete begin insert state dental director. end insert

begin delete

(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.

end delete begin insert

(d) Organizations provided grants pursuant to subdivision (b)
shall submit an evaluation of the program to the department. The
evaluation shall include statistics on the effectiveness of the
program and outreach. The department may post the evaluations
on its Internet Web site.

end insert

begin delete

SEC. 2.  

This act shall become operative only if Senate Bill
315 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2016.

end delete

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert begin insert

The sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) is hereby
appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of
Public Health for purposes of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH)
Grant Program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of the
Health and Safety Code.

end insert