SECTIONS 104316-104321 - California Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

SECTION 104316-104321

104316. (a) Contingent upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act,
the State Department of Health Services shall do all of the
following:
(1) Regularly analyze asthma morbidity and mortality data, and
shall periodically assess the burden of asthma on the state's medical
and economic resources, and identify those populations most
seriously affected by the disease.
(2) Survey factors known to worsen asthma, including allergy
induced asthma, such as cockroach allergens and molds, in order to
estimate the relative importance of these factors in California.
(3) Assess patterns of medical care and population-based health
services, and the extent of ongoing local, regional, educational,
environmental, and other asthma interventions and related activities.
(b) The information gained pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be
used to guide the development of public health programs and asthma
policy.

104317. (a) The department shall offer public and professional
education to disseminate the most current information on asthma.
(b) The department shall assist health care organizations, such as
managed care organizations, in identifying or developing effective
asthma diagnosis and treatment protocols. The department shall
improve clinical practice by working with experts, partnering with
health care organizations, and conferring with interested
constituencies.
(c) (1) Despite the necessity for increased information regarding
asthma causation, there is also an urgent need to apply existing
knowledge to reduce the burden on state resources due to asthma.
Thus, the department shall administer available funds to
organizations that propose promising, innovative asthma interventions
that benefit persons with asthma and their families by increasing
community awareness, improving patient education and asthma
self-management skills, improving clinical practice, coordinating
services, and developing local policies that support the prevention
and control of asthma and environmental factors that can trigger
asthma attacks.
(2) The department shall ensure that the projects are
scientifically based and practical, and that a range of significant
asthma prevention and control issues are addressed. The projects
shall address both adult and pediatric asthma populations. Projects
may include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(A) Clinical quality improvement.
(B) Disease management.
(C) Public and professional education, including information on
asthma self-management skills and ways to reduce or eliminate
allergens and irritants that exacerbate asthma, such as cockroaches,
dust mites, and molds.
(D) Mobilization of communities including local health
departments, community agencies, and other organizations.
(E) Unique exposure interventions for special or at-risk
populations.
(F) Innovative collaborations between managed care organizations,
local organizations, health systems, academic institutions, voluntary
health organizations, and local governments.
(G) Reducing environmental factors that have been found to trigger
asthma attacks.
(d) The department shall promote the utilization of evidence-based
asthma guidelines, such as the National Institute of Health's
National Asthma Education and Prevention Programs's asthma
guidelines, to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

104318. The department shall do all of the following in connection
with the administration of funds provided to implement this chapter:
(a) Draft and circulate requests for applications.
(b) Determine selection criteria, consult with applicants, and
monitor the progress of projects.
(c) Require specific evaluations of projects, require plans for
implementation of effective programs, and prepare a summary of
findings from all projects conducted.
(d) Consult with community stakeholders for the development,
implementation, and evaluation of asthma prevention and control
programs.

104319. The department shall monitor the clinical and public
interventions required by this chapter, and shall report successful
and unsuccessful interventions in clinical and public health
practice.

104320. The department shall establish and maintain a surveillance
and intervention program for the prevention of asthma.

104321. The department shall implement this chapter contingent on
the appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act.