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Introduced Version Senate Bill 748 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted

WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 748

By Senators Maroney, Takubo, Cline, Prezioso, Romano, Plymale, and Stollings

[Introduced February 11, 2020; referred
to the Committee on Health and Human Resources]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-59-1, §16-59-2, and §16-59-3, all relating to increasing awareness of palliative care services; defining terms; requiring the State Advisory Coalition on Palliative Care, in conjunction with the Bureau for Public Health, to develop education materials; and requiring the Office of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification to update and maintain database.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:


Article 59. Palliative Care.

§16-59-1. Purpose and findings.

(a) The purpose of this article is to increase awareness regarding the palliative care services in West Virginia. 

(b) The Legislature finds that palliative care access remains a challenge across the state and increasing awareness of the availability of this service will align with many of the state’s goals to improve patients’ health care experience and care quality.


§16-59-2. Definitions.

As used in this article:

“Palliative care” means an interdisciplinary team-based process designed to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for patients and families facing serious, though not necessarily terminal, illness. The care should be available at any stage of illness from birth to advanced age and may be offered simultaneously with disease modifying interventions, including attempts for cure or remission.

“Interdisciplinary team” means a care team comprised of medical and nonmedical disciplines and includes volunteers and lay workers in healthcare. This team may include, at a minimum, the following: (1) A physician; (2) a registered nurse; (3) a social worker; (4) a member of the clergy; (5) a counselor; and (6) a consulting pharmacist.


§16-59-3. Development of educational materials and database.

(a) The State Advisory Coalition on Palliative Care, working in conjunction with the Bureau for Public Health, shall develop a work group to create the content of educational materials regarding palliative care for distribution to providers. These materials should at a minimum provide an overview of the palliative care services and a description of the interdisciplinary team.  

(b) The Office of Health Facility License and Certification shall update and maintain its current webpage to reflect an option to search for palliative care provider type.

 

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase awareness of the availability of palliative care services, to define palliative care, to require the Advisory Coalition on Palliative Care and the Bureau for Public health to prepare the content of educational materials regarding palliative care services and the interdisciplinary team.  The bill requires the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification to list information regarding palliative care services on its web page.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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