Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106
01/13/2005 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overviews: | |
| Public Health Preparedness Issues | |
| Native Family Assistance Program | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
January 13, 2005
3:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative Tom Anderson
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Lesil McGuire
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Bettye Davis
Representative David Guttenburg
Representative John Coghill Jr.
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEWS: PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS ISSUES BY DIV OF
HEALTH DIRECTOR DICK MANDSAGER, M.D.; NATIVE FAMILY ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM ON PILOT PROJECTS BY DIV OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE DIRECTOR
KATHERINE FARNHAM
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DICK MANDSAGER, M.D., Director
Division of Public Health
Alaska Department of Health & Social Services
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the Division of
Public Health.
KATHERINE FARNHAM, Director
Division of Public Assistance
Alaska Department of Health & Social Services
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the Division of
Public Assistance.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:04:22 PM.
Representatives Seaton, Kohring, McGuire, Cissna, and Gardner
were present at the call to order. Representative Anderson
arrived as the meeting was in progress. Also in attendance were
Representative Guttenburg, Representative Coghill, and Senator
Davis.
3:05:38 PM
CHAIR WILSON described the guidelines the committee would follow
for the year.
^OVERVIEWS:
^PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS ISSUES
3:10:39 PM
DICK MANDSAGER, M.D., Director, Division of Public Health,
Department of Health and Social Services, explained his interest
in public health issues. He presented slides and distributed a
handout which described goals related to public health
preparedness. He defined public health and described its focus
on populations and prevention. He elaborated on the functions
of the Division of Public Health in society with several
stories. He stated that the division's primary goal is to set
the stage for a public health bill, which would be introduced by
Governor Murkowski in the coming week.
3:15:59 PM
DR. MANDSAGER referred to the handout entitled, "PUBLIC HEALTH:
Protecting and Promoting the Health of all Alaskans", that had
been distributed as part of the committee packet. He related
that public health facilities are widespread in Alaska and are
primarily run by the state.
3:19:21 PM
DR. MANDSAGER set the stage for the importance of new
legislation. He explained the need for the creation and
renovation of state facilities. He discussed specialized
planning and issues of preparedness for threatening diseases.
He stated that current laws do not give public health officials
quarantine authority within the state of Alaska.
3:22:56 PM
DR. MANDSAGER talked about changes that have occurred since [the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001] and emphasized the need
for preparedness planning in the future. He stated that there
is a need to amend statute and create state legislation so that
the division has authorization power in times of crisis.
3:27:09 PM
DR. MANDSAGER described the laboratory facility for virology in
Fairbanks, Alaska. He stated that this laboratory is in poor
condition and its reconstruction is dependent on federal funds.
He pointed out that inadequate facilities and the issues that
arise because of them create dilemmas with everyday needs as
well as with full-blown emergencies.
3:28:45 PM
DR. MANDSAGER stated that the Division of Public Health strives
to balance the needs of the public and the rights of the
individual. He advocated for legislation that will enable the
division to respond to potential crisis situations effectively.
3:31:29 PM
DR. MANDSAGER pointed out public health dilemmas summarized in
an article entitled, "The Public Health Improvement Process in
Alaska: Toward a Model Public Health Law" within his handout.
3:33:44 PM
DR. MANDSAGER talked about an assessment conducted by a team
from the American Public Health Laboratory Group. He said that
this team assessed the Alaska Virology Laboratory in Fairbanks,
Alaska, and described the facility as an "accident waiting to
happen." He discussed the importance of virology research, and
explained a proposal to build a new laboratory on the University
of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Dr. Mandsager shared stories that
related the importance of public health laboratory facilities in
Alaska and their preventative capabilities.
3:42:40 PM
DR. MANDSAGER reminded the committee of the issue of
tuberculosis and its effect on present day communities within
Alaska. He offered relevant information.
3:46:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER inquired as to tuberculosis rates in
Alaska in comparison with the rest of the United States.
3:46:27 PM
DR. MANDSAGER explained that there are many elders in Alaska who
have tuberculosis. He explained that the disease is
reintroduced to communities by these elders.
3:47:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON inquired as to the division's missions and
measures.
3:48:00 PM
DR. MANDSAGER described the division's process of missions and
measures.
3:48:48 PM
COMMISSIONER JOEL GILBERTSON, Department of Health and Social
Services, provided further information regarding missions and
measures.
3:49:32 PM
DR. MANDSAGER, in response to Chair Wilson, described the spread
of chlamydia and the percentage of Alaskans that are infected.
3:51:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER talked about alcoholism in Alaska, and
inquired as to the division's position regarding the problem.
3:51:34 PM
DR. MANDSAGER responded that alcoholism issues are dealt with by
the Division of Behavioral Health.
^NATIVE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
3:51:54 PM
CHAIR WILSON turned the committee's attention to the next
presenter.
3:52:32 PM
KATHERINE FARNHAM, Director, Division of Public Assistance,
described the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
(TANF). She highlighted the success of this federally funded
program which is also referred to as the Welfare to Work
Program. She stated that the successes of this program have
saved the State of Alaska a great deal of money and have
provided benefits for Alaskans. Furthermore, this program has
received "high performance" bonus funds for the last three
years, which have enabled the growth and development of new
programs.
4:00:45 PM
MS. FARNHAM described the Native Family Assistance Program. She
stated that in 2000, the Alaska State Legislature implemented a
law allowing for a state component to parallel the TANF program
to tribal organizations. She explained that the Native Family
Assistance Program enables the state to provide its funds to
these tribal organizations to compliment their federal TANF
grant. She stated that the legislature wanted to treat this
[law] as a pilot project and requested a report of the success
of these tribal TANF programs. The report, which was
distributed to the legislature this week, illustrates the
success of tribal programs. She explained the value of
community-based locally owned programs. Such programs know the
local families better and analysis has shown that tribal
organizations have reduced more caseloads than state
organizations. She stated that the recommendation from the
[Division of Public Assistance] is to extend and make permanent
the Native Family Assistance Program.
4:07:34 PM
CHAIR WILSON asked about tribal organization success rates.
4:07:53 PM
MS. FARNHAM stated that tribal organizations have flexibility
connecting programs for clients. She explained that familiarity
with families, cases, and the local economy fosters a successful
situation for the clients involved.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee
meeting was adjourned at 4:09:54 PM.
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