135A.4 - GOVERNMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.

        135A.4  GOVERNMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.

         1.  A governmental public health advisory council is established
      to advise the department and make policy recommendations to the
      director of the department concerning administration, implementation,
      and coordination of this chapter and to make recommendations to the
      department regarding the governmental public health system.  The
      council shall meet at a minimum of quarterly.  The council shall
      consist of no fewer than fifteen members and no greater than
      twenty-three members.  The members shall be appointed by the
      director.  The director may solicit and consider recommendations from
      professional organizations, associations, and academic institutions
      in making appointments to the council.
         2.  Council members shall not be members of the governmental
      public health evaluation committee.
         3.  Council members shall serve for a term of two years and may be
      reappointed for a maximum of three consecutive terms.  Initial
      appointment shall be in staggered terms.  Vacancies shall be filled
      for the remainder of the original appointment.
         4.  The membership of the council shall satisfy all of the
      following requirements:
         a.  One member who has expertise in injury prevention.
         b.  One member who has expertise in environmental health.
         c.  One member who has expertise in emergency preparedness.
         d.  One member who has expertise in health promotion and
      chronic disease prevention.
         e.  One member who has epidemiological expertise in
      communicable and infectious disease prevention and control.
         f.  One member representing each of Iowa's six public health
      regions who is an employee of a designated local public health agency
      or member of a local board of health.  Such members shall include a
      minimum of one local public health administrator and one physician
      member of a local board of health.
         g.  Two members who are representatives of the department.
         h.  The director of the state hygienic laboratory at the
      university of Iowa, or the director's designee.
         i.  At least one representative from academic institutions
      which grant undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in public health
      or other related health field and are accredited by a nationally
      recognized accrediting agency as determined by the United States
      secretary of education.  For purposes of this paragraph,
      "accredited" means a certification of the quality of an
      institution of higher education.
         j.  Two members who serve on a county board of supervisors.
         k.  Four nonvoting, ex officio members who shall consist of
      four members of the general assembly, two from the senate and two
      from the house of representatives, with not more than one member from
      each chamber being from the same political party.  The two senators
      shall be designated, one member each, by the majority leader of the
      senate after consultation with the president and by the minority
      leader of the senate.  The two representatives shall be designated,
      one member each, by the speaker of the house of representatives after
      consultation with the majority leader of the house of representatives
      and by the minority leader of the house of representatives.
         l.  A member of the state board of health who shall be a
      nonvoting, ex officio member.
         5.  The council may utilize other relevant public health expertise
      when necessary to carry out its roles and responsibilities.
         6.  The council shall do all of the following:
         a.  Advise the department and make policy recommendations to
      the director of the department concerning administration,
      implementation, and coordination of this chapter and the governmental
      public health system.
         b.  Propose to the director public health standards that
      should be utilized for voluntary accreditation of designated local
      public health agencies and the department that include but are not
      limited to the organizational capacity and public health service
      components described in section 135A.6, subsection 1, by October 1,
      2009.
         c.  Recommend to the department an accrediting entity and
      identify the roles and responsibilities for the oversight and
      implementation of the voluntary accreditation of designated local
      public health agencies and the department by January 2, 2010.  This
      shall include completion of a pilot accreditation process for one
      designated local public health agency and the department by July 1,
      2011.
         d.  Recommend to the director strategies to implement
      voluntary accreditation of designated local public health agencies
      and the department effective January 2, 2012.
         e.  Periodically review and make recommendations to the
      department regarding revisions to the public health standards
      pursuant to paragraph "b", as needed and based on reports
      prepared by the governmental public health evaluation committee
      pursuant to section 135A.5.
         f.  Review rules developed and adopted by the state board of
      health under this chapter and make recommendations to the department
      for revisions to further promote implementation of this chapter and
      modernization of the governmental public health system.
         g.  Form and utilize subcommittees as necessary to carry out
      the duties of the council.  
         Section History: Recent Form
         2009 Acts, ch 182, §118, 126