22 §412. Coordination of public health infrastructure components
Title 22: HEALTH AND WELFARE
Subtitle 2: HEALTH
Part 2: STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH AGENCIES
Chapter 152: PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
§412. Coordination of public health infrastructure components
1. Local health officers. Local health officers shall provide a link between the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and every municipality. Duties of local health officers are set out in section 454-A.
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
2. Healthy Maine Partnerships. Healthy Maine Partnerships is established to provide appropriate essential public health services at the local level, including coordinated community-based public health promotion, active community engagement in local, district and state public health priorities and standardized community-based health assessment that inform and link to districtwide and statewide public health system activities.
Healthy Maine Partnerships must include interested community members; leaders of formal and informal civic groups; leaders of youth, parent and older adult groups; leaders of hospitals, health centers, mental health and substance abuse providers; emergency responders; local government officials; leaders in early childhood development and education; leaders of school administrative units and colleges and universities; community, social service and other nonprofit agency leaders; leaders of issue-specific networks, coalitions and associations; business leaders; leaders of faith-based groups; and law enforcement representatives.
The department and other appropriate state agencies shall provide funds as available to coalitions in Healthy Maine Partnerships that meet measurable criteria as set by the department for comprehensive community health coalitions.
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
3. District public health units. District public health units shall help to improve the efficiency of the administration and coordination of state public health programs and policies and communications at the district and local levels and shall ensure that state policy reflects the different needs of each district.
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
4. District coordinating councils for public health. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in consultation with Healthy Maine Partnerships, shall maintain a district coordinating council for public health in each of the 8 districts as resources permit.
A. A district coordinating council for public health shall:
(1) Participate as appropriate in district-level activities to help ensure the state public health system in each district is ready and maintained for accreditation;
(2) Provide a mechanism for districtwide input to the state health plan under Title 2, section 103;
(3) Ensure that the goals and strategies of the state health plan are addressed in the district; and
(4) Ensure that the essential public health services and resources are provided for in each district in the most efficient, effective and evidence-based manner possible. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
B. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in consultation with Healthy Maine Partnerships, shall ensure the invitation of persons to participate on a district coordinating council for public health and shall strive to include persons who represent the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, county governments, municipal governments, tribal governments, city health departments, local health officers, hospitals, health systems, emergency management agencies, emergency medical services, Healthy Maine Partnerships, school districts, institutions of higher education, physicians and other health care providers, clinics and community health centers, voluntary health organizations, family planning organizations, area agencies on aging, mental health services, substance abuse services, organizations seeking to improve environmental health and other community-based organizations. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
A district coordinating council for public health, after consulting with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop membership and governance structures that are subject to approval by the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health.
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
5. Municipal health departments. Municipal health departments may enter into data-sharing agreements with the department for the exchange of public health data determined by the department to be necessary for protection of the public health. A data-sharing agreement under this subsection must protect the confidentiality and security of individually identifiable health information as required by state and federal law.
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
6. Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health. The Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health, established under Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 14-G, is a representative statewide body of public health stakeholders for collaborative public health planning and coordination.
A. The Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall:
(1) Participate as appropriate to help ensure the state public health system is ready and maintained for accreditation;
(2) Provide a mechanism for the Advisory Council on Health Systems Development under Title 2, section 104 to obtain statewide input for the state health plan under Title 2, section 103;
(3) Provide a mechanism for disseminating and implementing the state health plan; and
(4) Assist the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in planning for the essential public health services and resources to be provided in each district and across the State in the most efficient, effective and evidence-based manner possible.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention shall provide staff support to the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health as resources permit. Other agencies of State Government as necessary and appropriate shall provide additional staff support or assistance to the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health as resources permit. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
B. Members of the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health are appointed as follows.
(1) Each district coordinating council for public health shall appoint one member.
(2) The Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the director's designee shall serve as a member.
(3) The commissioner shall appoint an expert in behavioral health from the department to serve as a member.
(4) The Commissioner of Education shall appoint a health expert from the Department of Education to serve as a member.
(5) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall appoint an environmental health expert from the Department of Environmental Protection to serve as a member.
(6) The Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the cochairs of the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health, shall convene a membership committee. After evaluation of the appointments to the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health, the membership committee shall appoint no more than 10 additional members and ensure that the total membership has at least one member who is a recognized content expert in each of the essential public health services, has representation from populations in the State facing health disparities and has at least 2 members from the Advisory Council on Health Systems Development under Title 2, section 104. The membership committee shall also strive to ensure diverse representation on the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health from county governments, municipal governments, tribal governments, city health departments, local health officers, hospitals, health systems, emergency management agencies, emergency medical services, Healthy Maine Partnerships, school districts, institutions of higher education, physicians and other health care providers, clinics and community health centers, voluntary health organizations, family planning organizations, area agencies on aging, mental health services, substance abuse services, organizations seeking to improve environmental health and other community-based organizations. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
C. The term of office of each member is 3 years. All vacancies must be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
D. Members of the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall elect annually a chair and cochair. The chair is the presiding member of the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
E. The Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall meet at least quarterly, must be staffed by the department as resources permit and shall develop a governance structure, including determining criteria for what constitutes a member in good standing. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
F. The Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall report annually to the Advisory Council on Health Systems Development under Title 2, section 104 on progress made by the statewide public health system in addressing the designated public health goals, objectives and strategies in the state health plan under Title 2, section 103. In years when a new state health plan is being developed, the Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall provide input from its own members and from the district coordinating councils for public health stating goals, objectives and strategies that should be addressed in the state health plan.
The Statewide Coordinating Council for Public Health shall report annually to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters and the Governor's office on progress made toward achieving and maintaining accreditation of the state public health system and on districtwide and statewide streamlining and other strategies leading to improved efficiencies and effectiveness in the delivery of essential public health services. [2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).]
[ 2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW) .]
SECTION HISTORY
2009, c. 355, §5 (NEW).