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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the use of funds appropriated by the Department of State |
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Health Services to deliver low-dose, at-home racemic ketamine via |
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telehealth to improve healthcare access and mental health outcomes |
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across rural and high-risk populations. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 1001.203, Health and Safety Code is |
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amended by adding Section 1001.2032 to read as follows: |
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(1) The purpose of this Act is to provide for expanded |
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healthcare access, reduced care costs, improved mental health, |
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reduced chronic pain, increased workforce productivity, improved |
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trauma management for first responders and active military, and |
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improved health rankings for rural and high-risk populations across |
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Texas by authorizing the Department of State Health Services to |
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fund low-dose, at-home ketamine using medical technology in the |
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form of targeted intranasal delivery that can optimize the |
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effectiveness of and reduce the potential side effects related to |
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racemic ketamine treatments. |
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(2) The Department of State Health Services shall direct |
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funding to treat rural health population, first responders, |
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veterans, and activity military with a clinical diagnosis of |
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depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and chronic |
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pain. The Department of State Health Services shall allocate a |
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total of $55,000,000 for the purpose of providing funding during |
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the state fiscal years ending August 31, 2024 and August 31, 2025 |
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for the treatment of at least 15,000 adults that are designated as |
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living in a rural area of Texas, at least 8,000 first responders, |
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and at least 6,000 veterans or active military. |
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(3) The Department of State Health Services shall transfer |
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the appropriations through contracts with low-dose, at-home |
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racemic ketamine service providers that utilize targeted |
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intranasal drug delivery. When treating mental health and |
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neurological conditions, which requires the delivery of |
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pharmaceutical agents to the brain, it is well understood that |
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using oral administration is the least efficient and problematic |
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route and intravenous or intramuscular administration prohibits |
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at-home, self-administration, which is required to maximize access |
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to care. The most optimized route of administration is intranasal, |
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where certain regions of the nasal anatomy provide optimized |
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pathways for drug delivery that can eliminate side effects that can |
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reduce treatment compliance and maximize potential health |
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outcomes. The treatment protocol shall not exceed 30 to 60 |
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milligrams of racemic ketamine per individual treatment and shall |
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not exceed a total of 180 to 360 milligrams of racemic ketamine for |
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the entire treatment program, as this sub-anesthetic and low-dose |
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treatment protocol will minimize the potential for side-effects. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution, and shall |
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expire September 1, 2025. |
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SECTION 3: The Department of State Health Services required |
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to implement this Act only if the legislature appropriates money |
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specifically for the purpose stated in SECTION 1 if this Act. If the |
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legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that |
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purpose, the Department of State Health Services may, but is not |
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required to, implement this Act using other appropriations |
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available for the purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |