H-1694              _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 955

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Belcher, Brooks, Brekke, Fisher, Wineberry, Locke, Appelwick, K. Wilson, McMullen, Sprenkle, R. King, Rayburn, Wang, Nelson, Unsoeld, Lewis, Todd, Jacobsen, Hankins, Fisch, Leonard, Crane, Rasmussen, Sayan, Nutley, Lux, Cole, Armstrong, Allen, Scott, Jesernig and Dellwo

!ae200Read first time 2/16/87. Referred to Committee on Health Care 2/18/87.

AN ACT Relating to adolescent health care; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes the increasing difficulty that communities have in responding to the diverse and multiple health problems facing adolescents in today's society. The legislature further recognizes the negative social consequences and enormous human and fiscal costs to families, communities, and the state from those unresolved problems.

          The legislature also believes that healthy students have a greater ability to respond to their educational opportunities, to complete their education, and to become healthy, contributing citizens within their communities.  The complexity of the physiological and emotional changes of the adolescent period and the significant changes in family structures today place many of Washington's students in jeopardy and prevent them from enjoying the full benefit of the state's educational system as well as the fulfillment of a productive life.

          The adolescent health improvement grant program is hereby created in order to assist communities and schools to address the effects of such health concerns as:  (1) Substance abuse, (2) abuse and neglect, (3) mental or emotional difficulties, or both, (4) nutritional and health care deprivation, (5) sexual activity, (6) sexually transmitted diseases, (7) teen pregnancy, (8) low birthweight babies, (9) infant mortality, and (10) disruption of the family unit; and to minimize and prevent their immediate and long-term impacts.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1)  There is established within the department of social and health services for the purpose of assisting communities and schools to respond to the health needs of adolescents, the adolescent health improvement grant program. The department of social and health services shall work with the superintendent of public instruction to establish a task force representing the various segments of the health care community, the education community, and the community at-large to develop criteria on which to base the award of grants and an evaluation system for the programs implemented with grant moneys.

          (2)  The criteria on which grants shall be awarded shall consider the following:

          (a) Grants may be awarded to either a school, a school district, a health care agency, a youth services agency, or to a combination of these;

          (b) No grant may exceed one hundred thousand dollars, and all grants shall be matched by at least twenty-five percent of the total grant amount.  First-year funding shall be available by January 1, 1988;

          (c) Programs shall be comprehensive, addressing the issues in section 1 of this act, and shall be school-based, being located either on, adjacent, or near school grounds; and

          (d) Preference shall be given to communities demonstrating maximum use of existing community services in the adolescent health improvement program.

          (3) In order to assure that the diverse aspects of the community work together in developing health care programs that are acceptable to the highest possible spectrum of the community, a community-based policy group, including members of the education community, the health care community, parents, and the community at-large shall be established to administer the grant and to determine the program and methodology that will be used.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The sum of one million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the general fund to the department of social and health services for the purposes of this act.  No moneys appropriated under this act may be used for abortion counseling or abortion referrals.