Bill > HB511

This bill amends Mississippi state law to require (rather than merely authorize) the State Department of Health to establish WISEWOMAN and WISEMAN programs, which are designed to reduce chronic diseases through education, prevention, and early screening. The programs will be implemented specifically in counties located wholly or partially west of Interstate 55. WISEWOMAN will focus on heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer in women, while WISEMAN will focus on heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and diabetes in men. The programs are mandated to provide education about healthy behaviors, risk factor reduction, and screening/testing for early disease detection, with a priority on populations with the greatest need. The bill removes previous language about these being "pilot" programs and eliminates the condition of program implementation being dependent on available funding. Instead, the Department of Health is now required to seek grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other entities to fund these programs, and must contract with public or private clinics that have demonstrated success in chronic disease prevention. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0511.xml