00 SENATE BILL NO. 72 01 "An Act establishing the Healthy Families Alaska program; relating to Medicaid 02 coverage for targeted case management services for pregnant women and for 03 eligible children under the age of five; and providing for an effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 47.07.030(b) is amended to read: 06  (b) In addition to the mandatory services specified in (a) of this section, the 07 department may offer only the following optional services: case management and 08 nutrition services for pregnant women; personal care services in a recipient's home; 09 emergency hospital services; long-term care noninstitutional services; medical supplies 10 and equipment; advanced nurse practitioner services; clinic services; rehabilitative 11 services for substance abusers and emotionally disturbed or chronically mentally ill 12 adults; targeted case management services for substance abusers, chronically mentally 13 ill adults, and severely emotionally disturbed persons under the age of 21; targeted 14 case management services for pregnant women and for children under the age of 01 five; inpatient psychiatric facility services for individuals age 65 or older and 02 individuals under age 21; psychologists' services; clinical social workers' services; 03 midwife services; prescribed drugs; physical therapy; occupational therapy; chiropractic 04 services; low-dose mammography screening, as defined in AS 21.42.375(e); hospice 05 care; treatment of speech, hearing, and language disorders; adult dental services; 06 prosthetic devices and eyeglasses; optometrists' services; intermediate care facility 07 services, including intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded; skilled 08 nursing facility services for individuals under age 21; and reasonable transportation to 09 and from the point of medical care. 10 * Sec. 2. AS 47.07.900(19) is amended to read: 11  (19) "targeted case management services" means case management services 12   (A) for substance abusers, chronically mentally ill adults, and 13 severely emotionally disturbed persons under age 21 that are provided by 14   (i)[(A)] a drug or alcohol treatment center that is funded 15 with a grant under AS 47.30.475; or 16   (ii)[(B)] an outpatient community mental health clinic 17 that has a contract to provide community mental health services under 18 AS 47.30.520 - 47.30.620; or 19   (B) that will assist pregnant women and families of children 20 under the age of five in gaining access to needed medical, social, 21 educational, or other services under AS 47.19. 22 * Sec. 3. AS 47 is amended by adding a new chapter to read: 23 Chapter 19. Healthy Families Alaska Program. 24  Sec. 47.19.010. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to prevent poor 25 childhood outcomes, including abuse and neglect, by making available education and 26 support services to all pregnant women and families of children under the age of 5, 27 including newborn infants, by providing early intervention family support services to 28 pregnant women and families eligible under this chapter and facing the greatest 29 challenges. 30  Sec. 47.19.020. Establishment of program. (a) The department shall 31 establish a coordinated, comprehensive, statewide Healthy Families Alaska program 01 that provides appropriate prevention and early intervention family support services to 02 pregnant women and families of children under the age of five. 03  (b) The Healthy Families Alaska program shall 04  (1) be centered on the family and focused on individual family needs; 05  (2) serve eligible pregnant women and families who volunteer for the 06 program; 07  (3) provide education and support services to families to reduce the risk 08 of poor childhood outcome, including child abuse and neglect, and to contribute to 09 positive, healthy, child-rearing practices; 10  (4) provide targeted case management and assist pregnant women and 11 families in accessing needed services; 12  (5) initiate services during pregnancy or as early as possible after the 13 birth of an infant; and 14  (6) continue services to the family for up to three to five years, using 15 criteria defined in regulation to increase or decrease the scope or type of services. 16  (c) Program services shall be provided in a culturally appropriate and 17 collaborative manner by community-based private, nonprofit corporations, including 18 regional Native health corporations; Indian Reorganization Act and traditional 19 councils; municipal governments; or a combination of these entities. 20  Sec. 47.19.030. Eligibility. Pregnant women, children under the age of five, 21 and families of children under the age of five are eligible for services under this 22 chapter if they or their families volunteer for the program and are determined to be 23 able to benefit from the services provided under the program. 24  Sec. 47.19.040. Duties of the department. The department shall 25  (1) organize and encourage training programs for persons who provide 26 services under this chapter; 27  (2) establish a training program for paraprofessionals who provide 28 services under this chapter; 29  (3) identify and use all appropriate public and private resources 30 available to the state to provide needed services to the families eligible for this 31 program; 01  (4) issue contracts or grants for the provision of services under this 02 chapter; 03  (5) establish a comprehensive system for screening pregnant women 04 and families of children under the age of five who are eligible for services under this 05 chapter; 06  (6) establish the priority of services provided if available money is 07 insufficient to provide services to all persons who are eligible under this chapter; 08  (7) facilitate the coordination among public agencies or service 09 providers supplying services under this program, the resolution of disputes among 10 those agencies or providers about the provision of services under the program, and the 11 determination of financial responsibility of the respective persons for those services; 12  (8) ensure that services under the program are provided in a timely 13 manner pending the resolution of disputes among public agencies or service providers 14 as to the provision of or payment for those services; 15  (9) monitor and evaluate the services provided under the program and 16 establish a system for compiling data on the pregnant women, children, and families 17 in the state who are eligible for services, the numbers being served, and the types of 18 services provided; and 19  (10) adopt regulations necessary to implement or interpret this chapter. 20  Sec. 47.19.050. Individualized family support plan. (a) In consultation 21 with, and based on an assessment of, the eligible pregnant woman or the eligible 22 family, a written individualized family support plan shall be developed. The plan shall 23 include 24  (1) a description of the pregnant woman's or family's concerns, 25 priorities, resources, and goals for the child and family; and 26  (2) a description of the specific early intervention services that are 27 planned to help meet the unique needs of the child and the family. 28  (b) The plan required in (a) of this section shall be prepared within 45 days 29 after the initiation of service under the program. The plan shall be reviewed and 30 updated every six months that the pregnant woman, child, or family participates in the 31 program. 01  Sec. 47.19.050. Confidentiality and access to records. Medical, social, and 02 other client records received or developed under this chapter are confidential and are 03 not open to inspection, except as provided in regulations of the department to further 04 the purposes of the program or to better coordinate services. Nothing in this section 05 prohibits the department from releasing non-identifying information in aggregate form 06 for research or other purposes. 07  Sec. 47.19.900. Definitions. In this chapter 08  (1) "department" means the Department of Health and Social Services; 09  (2) "program" means the Healthy Families Alaska program. 10 * Sec. 4. This Act takes effect July 1, 1997.