[1]

Updated on March 7, 2008 

(Hartford, Conn., May 6, 2008)-The Connecticut Senate today voted on and passed an amendment to create a 32-member Commission on Health Equity within the state's Office of the Health Care Advocate for administrative purposes.

The approved amendment, LCO 5737, now goes before the state's House of Representatives.

The Senate had until May 7 to vote on a bill, SB 681, that, if passed, would have created the state's first Minority Health Advisory Commission (see "Conn. Senate to Vote on State's First Minority Health Advisory Commission [2]," April 24, 2008).

That bill was repealed yesterday by Senate members who successfully sought to alter it by introducing the new amendment (LCO 5737) [3], which the Senate passed today.

The amendment received unanimous support from the 35 senators [4] who voted on it today.

The amendment calls for four changes that supersedes the preexisting SB 681:
(1) changes the commission's name to the Commission on Health Equity
(2) increases the commission's membership to 32 persons
(3) changes the commission's focus from the health status of multicultural, multilingual, and multiethnic populations to the health status of populations experiencing racial, ethnic, cultural or linguistic disparities in health status
(4) expands the commission's duties to include advising and directing agencies that work to eliminate health disparities; collecting and analyzing data; recommending proposed legislation, regulations and policies; and receiving testimony.

The amendment authorizes the Commission on Health Equity to:

1. review and comment on proposed state legislation and regulations that would affect the health of the state's populations who experience racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic disparities in health status
2. advise and provide information to the governor and legislature on the state policies concerning the health of these populations
3. work as a liaison between these populations and state agencies to eliminate health disparities
4. evaluate the impact of policies, procedures, activities and resource allocations on eliminating these health disparities
5. review and comment on the Department of Public Health's (DPH) health disparities performance measures
6. explore successful programs in other sectors and states, and pilot and provide grants for:
• new creative programs that may contribute to the elimination of health disparities in Connecticut
• culturally-appropriate health education demonstration projects that the commission funds with public and private funds
7. submit to the governor and legislature an annual report on:
• both a retrospective and prospective view of health disparities and
• the state's efforts to ameliorate those among the state's populations who are experiencing racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic disparities in health status.

If the House of Representatives approves the amendment, the commission would also:
• collect and analyze government and other data regarding the health status of Connecticut residents based on race, ethnicity, national origin and linguistic ability, including access, services and outcomes in private and public health care institutions within the state
• draft and recommend proposed legislation, regulations and other policies that address disparities in health status
• conduct hearings and interviews and receive testimony regarding matters pertinent to its mission, and
• convene the directors of state agencies that work to eliminate health disparities, and advise and direct the implementation of policies, procedures, activities, and resource allocations to eliminate these health disparities.

The senators who offered the amendment are Donald Williams (29th District), Martin Looney (11th District), Thomas Gaffey (13th District), Mary Ann Handley (4th District), Andrew McDonald (27th District), Andrea Stillman (20th District) and Gayle Slossberg (14th District).

The full amendment (LCO 5737) is online at cga.ct.gov/2008/BA/2008SB-00681-R01-BA.htm. [5]

The roll call of the 35 senators' unanimous vote is online at cga.ct.gov/2008/VOTE/S/2008SV-00344-R00SB00681-SV.htm [6].

Source: EthnicNewz.org

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNewz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express permission of the news source. Contact Newz for more information.

SEE ALSO:
Conn. Senate to Vote on State's First Minority Health Advisory Commission [7]