2005 Connecticut Code - Sec. 19a-62a. Pediatric asthma pilot program. Asthma monitoring system. State-wide asthma plan. Model case definition of asthma. Report.

      Sec. 19a-62a. Pediatric asthma pilot program. Asthma monitoring system. State-wide asthma plan. Model case definition of asthma. Report. (a)(1) Within available appropriations, the Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a pilot program for the early identification and treatment of pediatric asthma. The Commissioner of Public Health shall make grants-in-aid under the pilot program for projects to be established in two municipalities to identify, screen and refer children with asthma for treatment. Such projects shall work cooperatively with providers of maternal and child health, including, but not limited to, local health departments, community health centers, Healthy Start and Healthy Families, to target children who were born prematurely, premature infants or pregnant women at risk of premature delivery for early identification of asthma. Such projects may utilize private resources through public-private partnerships to establish a public awareness program and innovative outreach initiatives targeting urban areas to encourage early screening of children at risk of asthma.

      (2) The Commissioner of Public Health shall evaluate the pilot program established under this subsection and shall submit a report of the commissioner's findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, not later than October 1, 2001, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

      (b) Not later than January 1, 2003, the Commissioner of Public Health shall establish and maintain a system of monitoring asthma. Such system shall include, but not be limited to, annual surveys of asthma in schools and reports of asthma visits and the number of persons having asthma as voluntarily reported by health care providers. The monitoring system may include reports of the number of persons having asthma medication prescriptions filled by pharmacies in this state. Such system shall be used by the commissioner in estimating the annual incidence and distribution of asthma in the state, including, but not limited to, such incidence and distribution based on age and gender and among ethnic, racial and cultural populations and on school enrollment and the education reference group, as determined by the Department of Education, for the town or regional school district in which the student's school is located.

      (c) The Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with local directors of health, shall establish a comprehensive state-wide asthma plan. Not later than October 1, 2002, the commissioner shall develop a model case definition of asthma for purposes of asthma diagnosis and monitoring.

      (d) Not later than October 1, 2003, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit a report of the status and results of the monitoring system established under subsection (b) of this section and the state-wide asthma plan established under subsection (c) of this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

      (P.A. 00-216, S. 8, 28; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4, S. 42.)

      History: P.A. 00-216 effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4 designated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (a)(1) and existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (a)(2), making a technical change therein, added new Subsec. (b) re asthma monitoring system, added Subsec. (c) re state-wide asthma plan and model case definition and added Subsec. (d) re annual report.