| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the Rita Littlefield Chronic Kidney Disease Centralized |
|
|
Resource Center established within the Health and Human Services |
|
|
Commission. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subtitle D, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Chapter 83A to read as follows: |
|
|
CHAPTER 83A. RITA LITTLEFIELD CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE CENTRALIZED |
|
|
RESOURCE CENTER |
|
|
Sec. 83A.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "resource |
|
|
center" means the Rita Littlefield Chronic Kidney Disease |
|
|
Centralized Resource Center established under this chapter. |
|
|
Sec. 83A.002. ESTABLISHMENT OF RESOURCE CENTER. The Rita |
|
|
Littlefield Chronic Kidney Disease Centralized Resource Center is |
|
|
established within the commission to serve as a centralized system |
|
|
through which persons may: |
|
|
(1) request and obtain information on: |
|
|
(A) chronic kidney disease and related |
|
|
illnesses, including each clinical stage of kidney disease and end |
|
|
stage renal disease; and |
|
|
(B) genetic testing and genetic counseling for |
|
|
genetic kidney diseases, including APOL1-mediated kidney disease; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) register for inclusion in a kidney health clinical |
|
|
trials registry to receive information on clinical trials and |
|
|
clinical trial opportunities for chronic kidney disease and related |
|
|
illnesses. |
|
|
Sec. 83A.003. ADMINISTRATION OF RESOURCE CENTER. (a) The |
|
|
commission shall administer the resource center in accordance with |
|
|
this chapter. |
|
|
(b) The commission shall: |
|
|
(1) structure and operate the resource center in a |
|
|
manner that provides a comprehensive approach for readily accessing |
|
|
information on and resources for chronic kidney disease and related |
|
|
illnesses, including for each clinical stage of kidney disease and |
|
|
end stage renal disease; and |
|
|
(2) establish, and the resource center shall maintain, |
|
|
a kidney health clinical trials registry through which patients and |
|
|
family members of those patients may register to receive |
|
|
educational information on clinical trials and clinical trial |
|
|
opportunities based on the clinical stage of a patient's chronic |
|
|
kidney disease or end stage renal disease. |
|
|
(c) The comprehensive approach described by Subsection |
|
|
(b)(1) must allow individuals to request and obtain or to directly |
|
|
access aggregated information on: |
|
|
(1) chronic kidney disease awareness, prevention, and |
|
|
professional education opportunities, including: |
|
|
(A) awareness campaigns for chronic kidney |
|
|
disease and related illnesses; |
|
|
(B) information on accessing free screenings for |
|
|
chronic kidney disease and related illnesses; |
|
|
(C) professional resources and continuing |
|
|
education opportunities for health care providers who treat |
|
|
patients with chronic kidney disease or related illnesses; |
|
|
(D) for individuals who register for inclusion in |
|
|
the clinical trials registry established under Subsection (b)(2), |
|
|
information on clinical trials and clinical trial opportunities for |
|
|
chronic kidney disease and related illnesses; and |
|
|
(E) information on chronic kidney disease |
|
|
partners, including chronic kidney disease patient advocates, |
|
|
dialysis professionals, health care providers, researchers, |
|
|
manufacturers, and other appropriate persons; |
|
|
(2) patient and family resources, including: |
|
|
(A) educational resources containing general and |
|
|
specific chronic kidney disease information; |
|
|
(B) resources containing information on chronic |
|
|
kidney disease prevention and early detection of chronic kidney |
|
|
disease and related illnesses; |
|
|
(C) nutritional and metabolism information for |
|
|
individuals with chronic kidney disease and related illnesses; |
|
|
(D) resources appropriately tailored to provide |
|
|
information on chronic kidney disease and related illnesses to |
|
|
individuals within groups that experience health disparities, |
|
|
including racial minorities; |
|
|
(E) directories for physicians who specialize in |
|
|
kidney health; and |
|
|
(F) programs through which an individual may |
|
|
obtain a kidney donation or be placed on a kidney donation list; |
|
|
(3) resources on chronic kidney disease treatment |
|
|
options and modalities, including: |
|
|
(A) kidney donations and kidney transplantation |
|
|
initiatives; |
|
|
(B) deceased and living organ donation programs |
|
|
and initiatives; |
|
|
(C) organ recipient registries; |
|
|
(D) treatment options for chronic kidney disease |
|
|
and end stage renal disease; |
|
|
(E) financial assistance for obtaining treatment |
|
|
for chronic kidney disease or related illnesses; and |
|
|
(F) options for receiving treatment for chronic |
|
|
kidney disease or related illnesses through the use of telehealth |
|
|
service or telemedicine medical service, as those terms are defined |
|
|
by Section 111.001, Occupations Code; and |
|
|
(4) genetic testing and genetic counseling for genetic |
|
|
kidney diseases, including APOL1-mediated kidney disease. |
|
|
(d) The commission shall ensure information provided by the |
|
|
resource center is available in both English and Spanish. |
|
|
Sec. 83A.004. INTERNET WEBSITE. In collaboration with the |
|
|
Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force established under Chapter 83, the |
|
|
commission shall establish and the resource center shall maintain |
|
|
an Internet website through which: |
|
|
(1) resource center employees and members of the |
|
|
public may directly communicate and exchange information on chronic |
|
|
kidney disease and related illnesses; and |
|
|
(2) individuals may register in the clinical trials |
|
|
registry established under Section 83A.003(b)(2). |
|
|
Sec. 83A.005. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The commission |
|
|
may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source |
|
|
to implement this chapter. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |