SENATE ADVANCES KEY BILL PROTECTING CONNECTICUT PUBLIC HEALTH FROM RISK OF FEDERAL CHANGES
Today, the State Senate advanced flagship legislation aiming to ensure Connecticut public health can continue to operate on current standards, pending potential changes federal officials have and may implement in the future.
The bill addresses a number of concerns including fluoride levels in public drinking water, emergency room treatment and care standards, recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration under the Trump administration, and private funding sources to support reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care services.
“Amid concerns about the future of health policy direction coming from the federal government, this bill is designed to future-proof Connecticut’s public health decisions to keep them aligned with currently accepted standards of care,” said State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee. “Challenges to widely accepted emergency room treatment policies, preventative treatment for dental health, and provision of reproductive and gender-affirming care could upend our systems as we know them if not for proactive consideration. What we pass today can and will retain Connecticut’s strong history of providing excellent health care.”
“Challenges to decades-old medical policies that have saved lives and impacted public health require an aggressive response to preserve the safety of our residents,” said Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven). “This bill preserves vital emergency room care standards that can mean the difference between life and death. Protecting dental health among children, it retains fluoride levels that have been long known to be safe. The bill declares substance use disorder a public health crisis and establishes a working group to combat its prevalence, and requires automatic external defibrillators to be installed in nursing homes. On top of all this, the bill takes steps to improve and ease access and safety of care, provide new tools for individuals to navigate care easier and create better health oversight standards for our state.”
Senate Bill 7, “An Act Concerning Protections For Access To Health Care And The Equitable Delivery Of Health Care Services In The State,” seeks to make a number of changes to public health policies in the state to ensure current standards of care and current policy decisions remain active. This shift comes amid concerns that new leadership in the federal government may make significant changes to widely accepted health standards.
Amid concerns that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act may not provide legally mandated care in all required situations – specifically when hospitals do not provide reproductive health care needed to stabilize patient health – the bill would require emergency departments to provide such care when a patient’s life or health is at serious risk. The bill adds provisions to ensure emergency departments cannot discriminate against patients in providing care.
Additionally, should federal EMTALA standards be revoked or inapplicable, the Department of Public Health would adopt regulations to implement EMTALA provisions for hospitals. Such regulations could be put in place rapidly should there be “imminent peril” to public health or safety.
The bill takes further steps to standardize current federal policy with concerns it may be changed in the near future. These include preserving a fluoride level of 0.7 mg/l in water systems serving 20,000 or more people as federal bodies cast doubt on fluoride in drinking water, aiding dental health in Connecticut while administering fluoride in low levels that are currently federally supported.
Additional aspects of the legislation involve the Department of Public Health commissioner establishing an advisory committee of public health school deans and experts in primary care, infectious disease and pediatrics who are professors at medical schools. This committee would review recommendations by the CDC and FDA to review whether they are in line with common medical standards. The bill further would establish a public health urgent communication account in the event of a public health emergency, as well as a financial safeguard account to address potential shortfalls in public health funding.
Another piece of the bill supports the creation of a safe harbor account that would collect private contributions supporting health care providers providing reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services, as well as nonprofits supporting reproductive health services and LGBTQ+ youth and families to support similar care.
It also seeks to create a pilot program to introduce overdose prevention centers through private donations; four such centers across the state would offer individuals with substance use disorder a safe location, with staff overseeing use, preventing overdoses and connecting those seeking aid with treatment and mental health support programs.
The bill’s additional provisions include:
-Declaring opioid use disorder a public health crisis and establish a working group to combat its prevalence
-Requiring physicians to inform patients with epilepsy on sudden unexpected death in patients
-Requiring automatic external defibrillators to be installed in nursing homes
-Support for pancreatic cancer screenings
-Make the Department of Corrections ombudsman responsible for evaluating health care services for inmates in correctional institutions
-Developing an online hospital financial assistance portal for patients and family members, serving as a tool to help people identify and apply for hospital financial assistance
-Implementing recommendations from a working group on staff safety issues affecting home health care and home health agencies
The bill passed by a 25-10 tally. With today’s Senate passage, the bill next heads to the House for further consideration.
