BILL NUMBER: AB 2354 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 28, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 128570)
to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to public health. An act relating to public
health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2354, as amended, V. Manuel Perez. Community Health
Workers: Promotores. Promotores: medically underserved
communities: federal grants.
Existing law establishes training and certification programs for
various healing arts professionals including, among others, nurses,
midwives, occupational therapists, dietitians, and social workers.
This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in
consultation with the University of California, to establish a
technical advisory committee to study the current use of promotores
in supporting positive health outcomes throughout California and the
funding resources that support the work of promotores. This bill
would also encourage the department to incorporate the use of
promotores for programs requiring outreach or involving strategies
that seek to increase access to care, health education, prevention,
and the creation of healthier communities.
This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to
assess the grants to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes
available pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act for funding opportunities related to the use of promotores
in medically underserved communities and report on this assessment to
the fiscal and health policy committees of the Legislature by April
1, 2011, with recommendations for attaining and maximizing federal
funding. This bill would also require the department to rely upon
past research about the efficacy of promotores and not permit the
department to conduct new research.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The State Department of Public
Health shall assess the grants to promote positive health behaviors
and outcomes available pursuant to Section 399V of the federal
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) for
funding opportunities related to the use of promotores, also known as
community health workers, in medically underserved communities. The
department shall report on this assessment to the fiscal and health
policy committees of the Legislature by April 1, 2011, with
recommendations for attaining and maximizing federal funding.
(b) The assessment made by the department pursuant to subdivision
(a) shall rely upon past research about the efficacy of promotores
and the department may not conduct new research.
(c) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall
be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this
section is repealed on April 1, 2015.
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
(a) Promotores, also known as community health workers, peer
leaders, or health advocates, serve as a bridge between the community
and the public health care system, providing health education,
health promotion, prevention, informational counseling, and referral
information, as well as resources in a manner that is culturally and
linguistically appropriate. Promotores function as cultural brokers
who possess a unique understanding of those, often
difficult-to-reach, communities they serve.
(b) Integrating promotores and community health workers into
health programs and strategies has been documented as being
associated with improvements in access to health care, health status,
and health screening behavior. The role of promotores, however,
expands beyond disease-related functions into community health.
Promotores are critical in creating health communities, improving the
built environment, increasing awareness about community factors
affecting health, and in creating mechanisms for families, and
particularly low-income families, to learn, thrive, and participate
in and transform their communities.
(c) In 2009, through Assembly Concurrent Resolution 75 (Chapter
125 of the Resolutions of 2009), the Legislature recognized and
applauded the contributions of promotores in improving community
health and well-being, advocacy, and cost-effective prevention by
declaring October 2009 as California Promotores Month.
(d) Ongoing federal efforts to address health care affordability,
accessibility, and use have identified the promotores model as an
effective practice and have committed financial support to help
implement the model. Current federal law includes funding and support
for programs that could employ promotores on a broad scale.
(e) As increased federal public health funding becomes available
to California, specifically for the increased use of promotores and
for programs that employ promotores, it is incumbent upon the state
to have a comprehensive statewide strategy to target resources and
invest funding into proven programs, successful models, and the best
practices. Accordingly, a comprehensive assessment of the current use
of and funding for promotores is needed to guide the state's future
investments.
SEC. 2. Article 6 (commencing with Section
128570) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health
and Safety Code, to read:
Article 6. Promotores Development Program Study
128570. (a) The State Department of Public Health, in
consultation with the University of California, shall conduct a
comprehensive assessment of the current use of promotores in
supporting positive health outcomes throughout California, including,
but not limited to, in rural communities, and the funding resources
that support the work of promotores.
(b) This assessment shall include all of the following:
(1) An examination of promotores programs throughout California
that identifies best practices in at least the areas of recruitment,
hiring, training, compensation, scope of work, supervision, program
design and implementation, successful programs, and resources.
(2) The federal, state, and local agencies that operate promotores
programs, use or contract for promotores, or provide resources to
organizations, including, but not limited to, nonprofit
organizations, that support and expand the work of promotores.
(3) An examination of previous studies that evaluated promotores
programs and have identified model programs or best practices.
(c) The department shall convene a technical advisory committee to
help guide and design this assessment. This advisory committee shall
include representatives from the following:
(1) Community-based organizations with experience in training and
hiring promotores.
(2) County public health departments.
(3) Foundations that support promotores programs.
(4) Primary community care clinics.
(5) Promotores or community health workers.
(6) Universities and other academic institutions.
(7) Other stakeholders the department deems necessary.
(d) The committee and the department shall use federal funding,
including, but not limited to, funding from the United States
Department of Health and Human Services and its Health Resources and
Services Administration and funding from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, to support the development of this
assessment.
SEC. 3. As federal funding is awarded to the
states for health prevention efforts, the State Department of Public
Health is encouraged to incorporate the use of promotores for
programs requiring outreach or involving strategies that seek to
increase access to care, health education, prevention, and the
creation of healthier communities.