It was a great honor to join Governor Ron DeSantis in Bonita Springs last Thursday as he signed a series of bills that are part of the Florida Senate's 'Live Healthy' legislative initiative.  This package invests in the future of Florida’s health care system. These measures were developed to ensure our growing population has access to the high-quality care they deserve. 

The broad appeal of the free state of Florida continues to attract families, businesses and seniors.  These new Floridians are not bringing their health care providers with them.  Live Healthy will grow the health care workforce we need to serve our communities, increase access and incentivize innovation so Floridians can have more options and opportunities to live healthy.

I am so grateful to our Governor, Speaker Paul Renner, Senators Colleen Burton, Gayle Harrell, Jason Brodeur, Jim Boyd and Jay Collins, and so many others who helped Live Healthy come to life.

Growing Florida’s Health Care Workforce and Expanding Access to High-Quality Care

Senate Bill 7016, sponsored by Senator Colleen Burton, establishes the framework to increase Florida’s health care workforce through expanded opportunities for education, training, and retention.

This legislation enhances partnerships between Florida’s hospitals and schools, increases residency slots, and establishes loan repayment options that incentivize providers to offer services in underserved areas.  Through these measures, Florida will build a more robust health care workforce that will be able to meet the needs of our growing state.

SB 7016 also removes unnecessary regulations that limit workforce mobility while maintaining rigorous training and certification requirements.  It enhances the role of medical school graduates waiting to be placed in a residency, expands sites for clinical training to include rural and other underserved communities, and reduces barriers for autonomous nurse midwives.  These provisions will increase workforce mobility and remove barriers that interfere with quality patient care.

This legislation also establishes the Nonemergent Care Access Plan (NCAP) requirements for hospitals and Medicaid-managed care plans.  Creating partnerships between hospitals and primary care settings will improve coordination and encourage patients to establish a medical home in which to provide non-life-threatening care in a more cost-efficient and appropriate setting

This bill also expands access to free and charitable clinics, allowing more low-income Floridians to access quality health care.

Incentivizing Health Care Innovation Through Technology

Senate Bill 7018, sponsored by Senator Gayle Harrell, harnesses the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurs and businesses together with the state's health care system to explore advances and innovations to address real-time challenges and transform the delivery and strengthen the quality of health care in Florida.

SB 7018 creates a Health Care Innovation Council to convene health care experts to explore innovations in technology, workforce and health care delivery models, among other responsibilities, to develop best practice recommendations and keep Florida a nationwide leader in innovation, technology and patient care.

The bill also creates a revolving loan program to implement innovative solutions.  The Council will review applications and recommend prioritized lists of funding applications.  Applicants may be certain licensed providers, with priority for rural hospitals or nonprofits that accept Medicaid patients in rural or medically underserved areas.

New Behavioral Health Teaching Hospital Designation

Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Senator Jim Boyd, creates the designation of behavioral health teaching hospitals to advance Florida’s behavioral health systems of care by creating a new integrated care and education model that will focus on state-of-the-art behavioral health research and provide leading-edge education and training for Florida’s behavioral health workforce.

The hospitals will collaborate with other university colleges and schools of medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, pharmacy, public health, or other relevant disciplines to promote and enhance a modernized behavioral health system of care.

Designated hospitals will provide inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care, address system-wide behavioral health needs, and provide treatment and care for those who need long-term voluntary or involuntary civil commitment.

SB 330 also establishes the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce, which will examine workforce issues and supply and demand to ensure that Florida is exercising the best practices in recruitment, retention and other workforce needs. 

Behavioral health teaching hospitals will help Florida recruit, grow and retain the next generation of professionals in innovative and integrated care for those with behavioral health needs.  This legislation enhances our behavioral health workforce and helps build toward the Florida Senate’s goal of making Florida’s system of care the very best in the nation. 

Expanding Services for Floridians with Disabilities

Senate Bill 1758, sponsored by Senator Jason Brodeur, modifies the application process for Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) services, adding an online application process and streamlining the timeframe to determine eligibility. 

By modernizing the application process and streamlining the timeline for Floridians looking to receive disability services, Floridians can receive critical services more efficiently without getting bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. 

SB 1758 also reduces the age requirement for a person’s caregiver in pre-enrollment category four from 70 years old to 60 years old, or older.  It will place more individuals in category four of the pre-enrollment prioritization list. 

This ensures that caregivers are provided with the necessary resources and support to continue providing quality care and helps loving families to stay together, even as the caregiver ages. 

The bill appropriates $38 million in funding to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, including funds to expand the number of Floridians with Disabilities who receive home and community-based care waiver services. 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office any time that I can be of assistance.

Respectfully,

Kathleen C. Passidomo

Senate President
State Senator, District 28

Not paid for at taxpayer expense.

Paid political advertisement paid for by Working Together for Florida P.C., 133 South Harbor Drive, Venice, FL 34285.