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House Bill 1240 |
House Author: Villarreal et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
Senate Sponsor: Uresti |
House Bill 1240 amends the Health and Safety Code to require a hospital, birthing center, physician, nurse midwife, or midwife who provides prenatal care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant to provide the woman and the father of the infant, if possible, or another adult caregiver with a resource guide that includes information in both English and Spanish relating to the development, health, and safety of a child from birth until age five, if the woman is a recipient of Medicaid assistance. The bill specifies information to be included in the resource guide, authorizes use of the guide provided on the Department of State Health Services website or an alternative guide, and authorizes use of an existing publication created by another health and human services agency as the resource guide. The bill also provides for a printable version of the guide and the guide's distribution to health care providers. House Bill 1240 requires the Health and Human Services Commission to develop performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the resource guide in reducing costs to the state and improving outcomes for children and to submit a report to the legislature, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, on the effectiveness of the guide, including legislative recommendations concerning the guide.