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SPECIAL NEEDS LEGISLATION
OVERVIEW FOR THE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION
For more information contact: Michele Baker,
Pasco County Emergency Management Director, 727-847-8137
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS LEGISLATION
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Establishes the Department of Health (DOH) and the County Health Department
(CHD) as the lead agency for coordination of special needs programs.
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Requires the attending physician to develop a patient plan of care for
implementation during an emergency.
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Requires home health agencies and hospices to develop a comprehensive emergency
management plan (CEMP) and provides specific criteria for inclusion.
Residential facilities have been required to do this since 1992.
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Requires home health agencies and hospices to identify how they will continue
service delivery during an emergency to include providing staff to special
needs shelters.
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Requires the CHDs to review and approve agency CEMPs and allows county
emergency management agencies and other involved entities an opportunity
to review and comment on the agency CEMP.
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Allows the DOH to utilize the Health Care Practitioner Registry to recruit
volunteers to staff disaster medical assistance teams.
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Establishes a methodology for reimbursement of health and medical professionals
who work during a disaster.
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Authorizes the DOH to establish a Special Needs Interagency Committee to
oversee implementation of the legislation.
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Establishes several full time equivalent (FTE) positions in the State agencies
tasked under the legislation.
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The legislation DOES NOT remove the responsibility from the county to register
persons with special needs, coordinate the provision of transportation
and shelters operations. Instead the legislation brings the other
important participants to the table to work on solutions to the special
needs issue.
OVERVIEW OF THE SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM IN PASCO COUNTY
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Number of clients registered: ~4,200 (1.3% of total population)
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Percentage of registered clients who are home health patients: 76%
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Number and capacity of special needs shelters/units: 4 units, total
capacity 1188
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Number of health care professionals needed to staff special needs units:
189/24 hour period
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Shortfall of professional staff: 181
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Agency providing the leadership for special needs staffing: Health
Department
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History of home health agency/hospice participation: In 1997 two
home health agencies each voluntarily sponsored a special needs units.
Those agencies have been sold and now we are dependent on volunteers at
the shelters. Four volunteers showed up for Hurricane Georges.
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Pasco County pays for medical supplies, has installed generator transfer
switches and/or generators at all four special needs unit locations and
is willing to reimburse health and medical staff.
HISTORY OF SPECIAL NEEDS LEGISLATION
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September 1979, Hurricane David - 6,000 elderly residents evacuated
Miami Beach and went to the Convention Center which had no nursing staff
and only one rescue crew.
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1981 - F.S. 252 was modified to direct counties to maintain a list
of people who require assistance to evacuate and require electric companies
to advertise the registry annually.
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September 1985, Hurricane Elena - thousands of elderly people along
the west coast evacuated to shelters and overwhelmed American Red Cross
(ARC) staff.
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August 1992, Hurricane Andrew - Over 10,000 frail and elderly persons
evacuated to public shelters which had no nurses and only one rescue crew
per shelter. The Lewis Commission provided seven recommendations
for improvements in special needs programs.
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September 1993 - Statewide Special Needs Task Force formed to look
at issues.
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August 1995, Hurricane Erin - Evacuations in South Florida demonstrated
that there had been no measurable improvements in the special needs program
since Hurricane Andrew.
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February 1996 - Task Force issued Final Report defining people with
special needs, providing recommendations for basic programs and containing
background information.
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November 1996 - Letter to State Division of Emergency Management
Director dissolving the Task Force and identifying special needs issues
requiring additional action beyond the authority of the Task Force.
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December 1997 - Special Needs Legislation, House Bill 3355, enrolled
by sponsor State Representative Mark Ogles, Bradenton.
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January 1998 - Companion bill enrolled as S.B. 1036 by Senator Virginia
Brown-Waite, Brooksville.
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May 1998 - H.B. 3355 was passed unanimously on the House floor.
The Session ended before the bill could be heard on the Senate floor.
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July 1998 - Meeting held in Tallahassee with all interested parties
to revise bill language for 1999 session. The Department of Health
accepted lead agency responsibility as long as an appropriation package
accompanied the bill.
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November 1998 - After several drafts the new language is currently
in Bill Drafting.
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