Resolves

Chapter 73

S.P. 45 - L.D. 137

Resolve, Requiring the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention To Report on Activities To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force To Study Cervical Cancer Prevention, Detection and Education

Sec. 1. Human papillomavirus vaccination; MaineCare reporting. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of MaineCare Services shall provide information regarding the rate of human papillomavirus vaccination among MaineCare members to the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention for inclusion in the reports required under section 8; and be it further

Sec. 2. Human papillomavirus vaccination as a priority for future funding. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall establish as a priority for future budget requests the need to provide sufficient resources to provide the human papillomavirus vaccination to the population of low-income females in Maine that fall into the age cohort identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as needing vaccination against the human papillomavirus; and be it further

Sec. 3. Maine Immunization Program to report on program funding and vaccination distribution. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Immunization Program shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters regarding the status of program funding, the number of doses of the vaccination distributed and other relevant data available. The program shall submit an initial report to the committee no later than January 30, 2008 and a 2nd report no later than January 30, 2010. Each report must include:

1. Program budget information for the current year and previous 2 years, including specific information regarding expenditures on the human papillomavirus vaccine; and

2. Documentation of any funding shortage that exists between available funds and the expenditures required to vaccinate 80% of Maine girls with the human papillomavirus vaccine and 80% of Maine children with the other vaccines on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedule; and be it further

Sec. 4. Report on public education provided regarding cervical cancer. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, shall report on statewide public education efforts regarding cervical cancer prevention and early detection, including the importance of cervical cancer screening and the availability of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

The program shall report its progress and results in implementing this section to the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention for inclusion in the initial and final evaluation reports required under section 8; and be it further

Sec. 5. Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program screening initiatives. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, referred to in this section as "the program," shall implement the following initiatives to increase and improve cervical cancer screening:

1. The program shall collaborate with the Family Planning Association of Maine, Inc. to develop ideas for outreach and coordination to increase cervical cancer screening among women who are ineligible for the program, particularly women under 35 years of age;

2. The program shall expand its special screening days. The expansion may include adding more sites, adding more screening days at current sites or a combination of these strategies, based on the program’s assessed need and demand for services;

3. The program shall update its clinical guidelines for cervical cancer screening based on a review of the most recent clinical guidelines for cervical cancer screening published by the American Cancer Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the United States Preventive Services Task Force. The program shall offer a professional education program on clinical guidelines for cervical cancer screening after it has completed the update; and

4. The program shall coordinate a stakeholder group, including representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, the State Employee Health Commission, the American Cancer Society and health insurance carriers operating in the State, to explore options for encouraging insured individuals to make and attend medical appointments for cancer screening, including, but not limited to, cervical cancer screening.

The program shall report its progress and results in implementing this section to the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention for inclusion in the reports required under section 8; and be it further

Sec. 6. Cervical cancer incidence and prevention in racial and ethnic minority populations. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health shall, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Cancer Registry, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, convene meetings with racial and ethnic minority groups to examine cervical cancer incidence in racial and ethnic minority populations in the State and develop recommendations to improve cervical cancer prevention and early detection in these populations.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health shall report its findings and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention for inclusion in the initial report required under section 8; and be it further

Sec. 7. Geographic variations in cervical cancer rates. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Cancer Registry shall, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, examine geographic variation in cervical cancer rates within the State, and in particular the higher rates of cervical cancer observed in Washington County and Somerset County, and shall explore reasons for the variation. The Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Cancer Registry and the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program shall consult with the American Cancer Society, community organizations and health care providers to develop recommendations for reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Washington County and Somerset County. The Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Cancer Registry shall report its findings and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention for inclusion in the initial report required under section 8; and be it further

Sec. 8. Evaluation of cervical cancer prevention, detection and education initiatives. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention shall monitor and evaluate the State’s progress in cervical cancer prevention, detection and education in response to the work of the Legislature’s Task Force to Study Cervical Cancer Prevention, Detection and Education. The center shall submit 2 reports to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters. The reports must address the progress, status and outcomes of each initiative required under this resolve. The initial report must be submitted no later than January 30, 2009, and the final report must be submitted no later than January 30, 2011. After review of the initial report, the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters may submit legislation regarding cervical cancer prevention, detection and education to the First Regular Session of the 124th Legislature. After review of the final report, the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters may submit legislation regarding cervical cancer prevention, detection and education to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.