Bill > S0992

This bill requires the Department of Health to establish a task force to examine how Florida is monitoring, reporting, and responding to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are germs that have developed resistance to the drugs designed to kill them. This task force will include various healthcare professionals and administrators and will review current procedures for reporting these resistant bacteria, how the public is notified about outbreaks, and how different government agencies and facilities coordinate their responses. The task force must then submit a report, an action plan, and legislative recommendations to state leaders by July 1, 2015. Additionally, the bill updates requirements for nursing homes, mandating that residents be assessed for eligibility for a pneumococcal vaccination (a vaccine that protects against pneumonia) or revaccination within five working days of admission, and that they receive the vaccine if indicated within 60 days, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with exceptions for medical reasons or personal beliefs. This change replaces the previous requirement for a specific type of pneumococcal vaccine (polysaccharide vaccine, or PPV) with a broader recommendation for pneumococcal vaccination or revaccination.