By Davila H.B. No. 2485 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2485: By Maxey C.S.H.B. No. 2485 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment and powers and duties of a healthy 1-3 start pilot program modeled after the Hawaii healthy start program. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Chapter 45 to read as follows: 1-7 CHAPTER 45. HEALTHY START PILOT PROGRAM 1-8 SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1-9 Sec. 45.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: 1-10 (1) "Program" means the healthy start pilot program 1-11 established under this chapter. 1-12 (2) "Family support worker" means a person providing 1-13 home-based family support services. 1-14 (3) "Home-based family support services" means 1-15 services to provide pregnant women and new parents with information 1-16 and access to health care, social services, and related services 1-17 through home visits by workers trained in the Hawaii healthy start 1-18 model. 1-19 (4) "High risk" means at risk of child abuse or 1-20 neglect as determined by a valid and reliable assessment 1-21 instrument. 1-22 Sec. 45.002. HEALTHY START PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The 1-23 department shall establish a healthy start pilot program modeled 1-24 after the Hawaii healthy start program to provide services to 2-1 families and children during the prenatal through preschool years. 2-2 (b) The goal of the program is to prevent child abuse and 2-3 neglect. The program shall be designed to: 2-4 (1) promote optimal child development; 2-5 (2) improve family coping skills and functioning; and 2-6 (3) promote positive parenting skills and 2-7 intrafamilial interaction. 2-8 (c) The program shall provide: 2-9 (1) prenatal to preschool family and children's 2-10 services; 2-11 (2) home-based family support; and 2-12 (3) referral to community services. 2-13 SUBCHAPTER B. PRENATAL TO PRESCHOOL FAMILY 2-14 AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES 2-15 Sec. 45.021. PRENATAL TO PRESCHOOL FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S 2-16 SERVICES PILOT PROJECT. (a) As part of the program, the 2-17 department shall establish a prenatal to preschool family and 2-18 children's services pilot project. 2-19 (b) The pilot project must begin operation not later than 2-20 January 1, 1994. 2-21 (c) The project shall be administered by a grant recipient 2-22 selected under Section 45.026. 2-23 Sec. 45.022. HEALTH FACILITIES SCREENING. (a) The prenatal 2-24 to preschool family and children's services pilot project shall 2-25 provide systematic clinic-based or hospital-based screening for 2-26 high-risk families of newborns in selected counties. 2-27 (b) Health facility screening shall be accomplished by a 3-1 family support worker, who shall examine patient records for 3-2 evidence of child abuse or neglect risk indicators. 3-3 (c) A family support worker shall interview a mother who is 3-4 a member of a high-risk family identified under Subsection (b) to 3-5 encourage participation in the program. 3-6 Sec. 45.023. FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER. (a) The prenatal to 3-7 preschool family and children's services pilot project shall 3-8 provide home-based family support services to families who accept 3-9 the services under Section 45.022. 3-10 (b) The services provided under this section shall include 3-11 home visits by a family support worker to assess the needs of the 3-12 family and to refer the family to appropriate services. The family 3-13 support worker shall identify the specific needs of the family to 3-14 ensure that appropriate services are used and that the services are 3-15 used with the appropriate frequency. The family support worker 3-16 shall coordinate the use of these services. 3-17 (c) The family support worker shall assist participating 3-18 families in selecting a primary health care provider to promote 3-19 preventive health care and positive child development. The family 3-20 support worker shall: 3-21 (1) monitor the scheduling and completion of health 3-22 care visits and the availability of transportation for the visits; 3-23 (2) review the results of the visits; and 3-24 (3) coordinate future visits or referrals to necessary 3-25 services. 3-26 (d) The family support worker shall provide continuous 3-27 follow-up with the family until the child born at the time the 4-1 family was identified as a high-risk family under Section 45.022 4-2 reaches the age of five. 4-3 Sec. 45.024. TRAINING PROGRAMS. The prenatal to preschool 4-4 family and children's services pilot project shall provide a 4-5 structured training program modeled after the Hawaii healthy start 4-6 training program. The training program shall establish uniform 4-7 standards for delivery of services under this subchapter. 4-8 Sec. 45.025. INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT. The department may 4-9 enter into an interagency agreement with other state agencies to 4-10 facilitate coordination and increase the likelihood of healthy 4-11 outcomes for families at high risk for abuse or neglect. 4-12 Sec. 45.026. ADMINISTRATION OF PILOT PROJECT. The board 4-13 shall adopt rules governing the establishment of a grant to a child 4-14 abuse prevention organization for the development and 4-15 implementation of the prenatal to preschool family and children's 4-16 services pilot project. 4-17 Sec. 45.027. DUTIES OF GRANT RECIPIENT. The recipient of 4-18 the grant under Section 45.026 shall: 4-19 (1) implement the prenatal to preschool family and 4-20 children's services pilot project as required by this subchapter; 4-21 and 4-22 (2) use existing programs and services to implement 4-23 the project. 4-24 SUBCHAPTER C. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM 4-25 Sec. 45.051. TERMINATION OF PILOT PROJECT. The pilot 4-26 project established under this chapter terminates August 31, 1999. 4-27 Sec. 45.052. REPORT. (a) The department shall prepare a 5-1 written report on the effectiveness of the pilot project and shall 5-2 file a copy of this report with the governor and each house of the 5-3 legislature not later than February 1 of each odd-numbered year. 5-4 (b) The department shall conduct or arrange for an 5-5 independent evaluation of the project based on the Hawaii healthy 5-6 start program evaluation guidelines. The department shall make 5-7 recommendations on further implementation of the healthy start 5-8 program. 5-9 (c) This chapter expires September 1, 1999. 5-10 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 5-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 5-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 5-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 5-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 5-15 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 5-16 passage, and it is so enacted.