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Gov. Charlie Baker late Monday returned sweeping changes to the Local Public Health Reform Act to lawmakers, shooting down another bill that would have dealt with student diabetes treatment in schools.
Baker reintroduced the bill that calls for basic local and state public health standards and regular state funding for the Board of Health (H 5104). Supporters of the bill aim to ensure that everyone has access to quality care, regardless of where they live. House Speaker Ron Mariano said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted “regional and racial inequities in our public health infrastructure.”
Pastries Improvement It allows cities and towns to opt-in to the new epidemiology, testing, certification, data collection and other criteria. Municipalities can receive Public Health Department grants only if they maintain funding for public health programs for those new beginnings at the same level as last year.
“The aim of this bill is to deliver higher quality, integrated and more consistent public health services across the Commonwealth, supported by targeted government investments,” Baker wrote. “However, this bill requires all local health boards to meet the new foundation standards set by the DPH, whether or not state funding is provided. The bill expressly provides for state support for boards to implement these standards. Such funding is not guaranteed.”
The House and Senate rushed the bill to Baker’s desk last week in July and spent consecutive days in both chambers. While this session unanimously recommended that lawmakers work with the governor on the bill, Baker pointed the way for the next session in his amended letter.
“I am concerned that changing the funding structure for local health boards will only lead to improvements in efficiency,” Baker wrote. “The experiences of the past two and a half years of COVID-19 have highlighted the challenges that the current structure presents to an effective and coordinated, regional public health response. I urge the Legislature to make this a priority in the next legislative session.”
In the year In December 2021, the Legislature passed more than $200 million in the American Savings Plan Act and Fiscal 2021 surplus funding to support local and state public health infrastructure, according to House officials, and the Fiscal 2023 budget signed last month includes $15 million in support for local and regional boards.
And the ruler Another bill was rejected As soon as Monday after 5:00 p.m., it allows school nurses to be authorized to administer glucose monitoring tests or insulin delivery systems to students who cannot self-administer.
Baker stated that insulin administration “requires specific dosages determined by calculations based on food consumption and blood sugar levels at the time of administration” and safe medications that indicate insulin as “high risk” or “high risk of serious harm to the patient when used incorrectly.” it is.
“Due to this level of complexity and the clinical judgment skills required, allowing the delegation of insulin administration to unlicensed school personnel creates an unnecessary risk of error that could result in serious injury or even death to a student with diabetes,” Baker wrote. “In general, the Department of Public Health does not allow nurses to administer medications other than oral or oral medications because of the special training required to administer these medications.”
The House and Senate quickly passed the insulin delivery bill for Baker in a voice vote in the last week of July. Democratic legislative leaders did not have time to override the governor’s veto, as they waited for Baker to send the bill before regular sessions ended.
The bill is based on legislation passed by Lawrence Rep. Frank Moran (H 665), which directs diabetes management in schools, last year in the Joint Committee on Education and then in the Joint Committee on Health Care Finance. Sen. Sal DiDomenico is the sponsor of the Senate bill (S 315).
On Tuesday, Gov. Baker will join other state leaders in a ceremonial signing of the newly approved state law. Reproductive health care. The governor originally signed the bill into law in late July.
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