2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 19a - Public Health and Well-Being
Chapter 368a - Department of Public Health
Section 19a-6k - Interagency and Partnership Advisory Panel on Lupus. Duties.

(a) The Interagency and Partnership Advisory Panel on Lupus established pursuant to section 19a-6j shall: (1) Analyze the current state of education on lupus in the state, (2) evaluate materials and resources currently available from government agencies, hospitals and lupus advocacy organizations, and (3) identify gaps in the current lupus education modalities in the state through a needs assessment or similar mechanism.

(b) Upon completing the needs assessment described in subsection (a) of this section, the advisory panel shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the results of its assessment to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and to the Department of Public Health. Utilizing the results of such assessment, and with input from the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and the Department of Public Health, the advisory panel shall develop and implement a comprehensive lupus education and awareness plan.

(c) The advisory panel shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan to improve education and awareness surrounding lupus for health care practitioners, public health personnel, patients and persons who may have lupus. The plan shall include the recommendations on how to best:

(1) Distribute medically sound health information on lupus that is endorsed by government agencies, that include, but are not limited to, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Social Security Administration, through local health departments, schools, agencies on aging, employer wellness programs, physicians and other health professionals, hospitals, health plans and health maintenance organizations, women's health groups and nonprofit and community-based organizations;

(2) Utilize volunteers in the community to distribute brochures and other materials that promote lupus education and awareness;

(3) Develop educational materials for health professionals that identify the most recent scientific and medical information and clinical applications regarding the treatment of lupus;

(4) Work to increase knowledge among physicians, nurses and health and human services professionals about the importance of lupus diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation;

(5) Support continuing medical education programs in the state's leading academic institutions by ensuring that such institutions are provided the most recent scientific and medical information and clinical applications regarding the treatment of lupus;

(6) Conduct state-wide workshops and seminars for extensive professional development regarding the care and management of patients with lupus in an effort to bring the latest information on clinical advances to health care providers; and

(7) Maintain and develop a directory of lupus-related health care services, that includes a listing of health care providers with specialization in the diagnosis and treatment of lupus and that can be disseminated, within available appropriations, by the Department of Public Health to individuals with lupus, family members of those with lupus, representatives from voluntary organizations, health care professionals, health plans, local health agencies and authorities and to other agencies of the state.

(d) The advisory panel shall present the initial plan to the Department of Public Health and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health on or before July 1, 2013. The advisory panel may make periodic revisions to the plan that are consistent with the purposes of this section.

(P.A. 11-23, S. 2; P.A. 12-197, S. 17.)

History: P.A. 11-23 effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (d) by changing date to submit plan from October 1, 2012, to July 1, 2013.