Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
02/15/2022 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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HB308 | |
Adjourn |
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE February 15, 2022 3:03 p.m. DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Liz Snyder, Co-Chair Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Co-Chair Representative Ivy Spohnholz Representative Zack Fields Representative Ken McCarty Representative Christopher Kurka Representative Mike Prax MEMBERS ABSENT All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR HOUSE BILL NO. 308 "An Act relating to dementia awareness." - HEARD & HELD PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION BILL: HB 308 SHORT TITLE: DEMENTIA AWARENESS SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STUTES 02/07/22 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/07/22 (H) HSS, FIN 02/15/22 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM DAVIS 106 WITNESS REGISTER FATE PUTNAM, Staff Representative Louise Stutes Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 308 on behalf of Representative Stutes, prime sponsor. JORDAN LEWIS, PhD, Professor of Medical Education University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony during the hearing on HB 308. PAM KELLEY, Executive Director Alzheimer's Disease Resource Agency of Alaska Inc.; Chair Alaska Dementia Action Collaborative Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 308. JOSH LONN, Chair Community Board Alzheimer's Association Alaska Chapter Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Offered statistics related to Alzheimer's during the hearing on HB 308. NONA SAFRA, Member Alaska Commission on Aging Homer, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Provided invited testimony in support of HB 308. KAROL FINK, Chief Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division of Public Health Department of Health and Social Services Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions during the hearing on HB 308. PAMELA SAMASH, on behalf of self Nenana, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 308. ACTION NARRATIVE 3:03:52 PM CO-CHAIR LIZ SNYDER called the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. Representatives Kurka, McCarty, Zulkosky, and Snyder were present at the call to order. Representatives Fields, Spohnholz, and Prax arrived as the meeting was in progress. HB 308-DEMENTIA AWARENESS 3:04:39 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced that the only order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 308, "An Act relating to dementia awareness." 3:06:30 PM FATE PUTNAM, Staff, Representative Louise Stutes, Alaska State Legislature, presented HB 308 on behalf of Representative Stutes, prime sponsor. He said the proposed legislation would adopt a dementia awareness program within the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and is designed to qualify for the federal program Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act (BOLD). The Act was designed by Congress in 2018 to raise awareness of the national concern for the growing problem related to dementia and directed the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to provide funds to public health departments that address early detection of early Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and HB 308 would help obtain those funds. Mr. Putnam said the BOLD Act specifies federal funds may be awarded to states to provide educational programs to educate and inform the public about these diseases and, thus, reduce the risk of cognitive decline by supporting early detection and diagnosis. Further, the funds would support caregivers to improve management of these conditions. To be eligible for the federal funds, DHSS would apply to the CDC for a core competency award, identifying in the application how the plan would provide the public education. He noted that the core competency awards range from $350,000 to $500,000 dollars annually. 3:09:14 PM MR. PUTNAM explained that HB 308 would require the department to plan how to work with partners and determine the success of the work done. He said the bill would establish a dementia awareness program tasked with the following basic functions: the creation of educational material for healthcare professionals; utilization of educational materials to help "dementia professionals" such as judicial staff, law enforcement, social service providers, and emergency responders to recognize the symptoms of those Alaskans that experience dementia; the creation and maintenance of a statewide and easily accessible list of dementia service providers in Alaska that can diagnose and treat those diseases; consultation with national organizations providing dementia care concerning the most appropriate materials and content needed for the public awareness campaign; coordination with the public and service provider organizations to implement programs and activities to educate the public about dementia; a statewide campaign with various media forms to publicize the scope of the issue and promote early detection through screening; education of the public about the risk of developing dementia and ways to avoid the onset, including diet and exercise, and methods of diagnosis and treatment; and an increase in the awareness of wellness visits to patients by providing easily readable materials on the department's website to maintain an disseminate the list of statewide dementia care providers. MR. PUTNAM said Representative Stutes is sponsoring this legislation because Alaska has "a large and growing" senior population. Currently, approximately 12,500 Alaskans suffer from Alzheimer's and other related diseases. Dementia is the fifth leading cause of death for those people over age 65. Mr. Putnam emphasized the importance of getting "in front of this issue before it becomes an insurmountable problem." He stated, "HB 308 is an effort to get the best programs available for all Alaskans into a centralized agency tasked with protecting public health." He noted that currently there are many groups in the private sector whose work addresses dementia and Alzheimer's disease, many of which focus on the management of the disease once it has been diagnosed. He pointed out that unfortunately once it has been diagnosed, the treatment to reduce the impacts of the disease are "very limited." He said HB 308 is designed "to get out in front of the diagnosis with early detection" and look for ways to delay the cognitive decline so people can lead healthier lives. He noted that the department had submitted a fiscal note reflecting the cost of running the program, and he said the bill sponsor's office is working with the administration to find ways to reduce the cost of running the program. He acknowledged there is a need for experts to work on the program. He said the sponsor encourages the department to seek funds from the BOLD Act to pay for the public education program. 3:13:16 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced the committee would hear invited testimony. 3:14:02 PM JORDAN LEWIS, PhD, Professor of Medical Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, noted that she is a dementia researcher. She stated that there is a stigma surrounding dementia preventing families and others from seeking medical care, which results in distress and sometimes burnout. He said increasing education about dementia will decrease that stigma, normalize conversations between families and their healthcare providers, and educate the public that dementia is not a normal part of the aging process. He advised that receiving an early diagnosis can relieve anxiety over symptoms and help the provider work with the person on treatment options. It can also give the opportunity for families to maximize their time together and find resources and support programs. Further, it can save on medical costs and the cost of long-term care, both for families and state government. He reported that early diagnosis of Alzheimer's would collectively save the U.S. approximately $7 trillion in health and long-term care costs. He encouraged support of HB 308. 3:15:56 PM PAM KELLEY, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Disease Resource Agency of Alaska Inc. and Chair, Alaska Dementia Action Collaborative, stated that people with dementia come to the Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska after they or family members have begun to experience symptoms, at which point is too late for prevention. The agency has helped "tens of thousands" of Alaskans over the last 38 years to slow the rate of cognitive decline and adapt to future changes. She encouraged early detection to lower the numbers. She said there are public awareness efforts being made "on the retail level," and HB 308 would allow a "wholesale" campaign. She asked, "Don't we owe it to ourselves to try?" 3:18:18 PM JOSH LONN, Chair, Community Board, Alzheimer's Association Alaska Chapter, stated that Alaska can soon expect to be impacted by dementia at a higher rate per capita than any other state in the Union. He reported that the population of Alaskans with Alzheimer's, which is only one of the ten most common types of dementia, accounts for approximately 8,500 of Alaska's 12,500 dementia cases, and it is expected to impact 3,000 more Alaskans by 2025. This means the overall dementia population will surpass 17,000 Alaskans. He stated, "A dementia public awareness campaign is instrumental in preparing Alaska for the approaching dementia tsunami." He talked about the benefits of early detection and commented on the effect on Alaska's workforce due to burnout of caregivers. He stated, "Progression of this disease leads to public safety issues, behavioral change, wandering, and the inability to perform basic tasks such as using the bathroom." He urged the committee to support HB 308 "in honor of Alaska's families, who are and continue to be impacted by dementia and wish they had known the signs sooner." 3:21:00 PM NONA SAFRA, Member, Alaska Commission on Aging, stated that the Alaska Commission on Aging voted to support HB 308. She said the workforce and state budget will be affected by the number of people that will be diagnosed with dementia in the next decade, thus she advised the state needs a better approach in preparing for this public health crisis. She said HB 308 would make the public aware of lifestyle and behavioral changes and therefore be able to mitigate the onset of dementia. Ms. Safra shared that she has a brain injury that increases her odds for getting dementia. She is also a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's. She stated, "It's too late for him, but it's not too late for others." She called HB 308 a "game changer," and she urged the committee to support the bill. 3:23:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY referred to language in HB 308, on page 2, beginning on lines 2 and 26, regarding a list of state providers, and he asked whether there were "qualifiers to what those providers have to do to be acknowledged." MR. PUTNAM answered that most people who provide services for dementia would be part of this program. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY recalled years back there were requirements for expensive accreditation that limited the number of providers that could provide services. MR. PUTNAM responded that he is not aware of those requirements for this program. 3:25:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE KURKA drew attention to the fiscal note, which reflected over $16,000 in fiscal year 2023 (FY 23) and over three-quarter of a million "next year." He observed a new staff person would be added, and the services category is $521,000. He asked whether that was envisioned by the bill sponsor as state-covered expenses. MR. PUTNAM answered that the sponsor's office is working with the department "to see if that fiscal note may be little higher than anticipated." He reiterated that the BOLD Act funding provides a window of funding between $350,000 and $500,000 annually. He added that the sponsor supports the need of the department to hire a subject matter expert in order to fund the program. Further, the materials need to be produced early on in the program. He deferred to the department to offer further explanation. REPRESENTATIVE KURKA noted that although there is no additional staff hired after the first year, the amount of funds needed for services goes up by 50 percent for FY 24. He questioned the reason for that. MR. PUTNAM pointed to the back of the fiscal note where it explains that 90 days after passage of HB 308, the department would be recruiting, and it would be well into FY 23 at that point; therefore, the department would need the funds only for a portion of the year. However, in FY 24 and beyond, "they're going to need that package for that individual specialist in Alzheimer's." 3:28:10 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER requested someone from the department talk about putting the fiscal note in context with that of other programs of similar size. 3:29:03 PM KAROL FINK, Chief, Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services, explained that most of the numbers are built by looking at the budgets in place for other programs; however, she said there are no economies of scale because the work of each program differs. In response to a follow-up question, she confirmed the department looked at a tobacco prevention program and nutrition program, and also marijuana education. Each have different funding streams and sources of dollars. 3:31:08 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER opened public testimony on HB 308. 3:31:35 PM PAMELA SAMASH, on behalf of self, noted that she is a member of the Alaska Commission on Aging, which voted to support HB 308, and she is testifying today on her own behalf in support of the proposed legislation. She emphasized the need for awareness of dementia and Alzheimer's because the senior population of Alaska is growing substantially, and [HB 308] can help people become more prepared. She said Interior Alaska needs more housing and skilled nurses to handle this population and the chronic health issues that come with it. She highlighted the importance of learning prevention measures such as diet and exercise as a measure to drastically reduce the number of individuals who will have to face dementia. She urged the committee to support HB 308 and Alaska's seniors. 3:33:13 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER, after ascertaining that there was no one else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 308. CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced that HB 308 was held over. 3:34:48 PM ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the committee, the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:35 p.m.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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HB 308, Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Ver. A.PDF |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Alzheimer's Association 10 Warning Signs.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Behavioral Change Info for Medical Providers.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Letters of Support.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Texas State Flyer for Medical Providers.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Alz Association First Responders Tip Sheet.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308- Oppose.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
HB 308, Fiscal Note.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
HB 308 |
EO 121, Legislative Legal Department Memo, 2.14.22.pdf |
HHSS 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM |
EO 121 Memo |