Bill > H1959

This bill establishes a special commission on local and regional public health within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, tasked with evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of public health systems at the municipal and regional levels and proposing improvements. The commission will comprise 21 members, including representatives from various state agencies like the Department of Public Health (which will chair the commission), the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, as well as representatives from municipal associations, taxpayer foundations, public health organizations, and academic institutions. The commission's duties include comparing Massachusetts' public health capacity to national standards, assessing local authorities' ability to fulfill their legal responsibilities, evaluating current funding and workforce qualifications, and examining different regional service delivery models. It will also consider progress made on previous regionalization recommendations and may gather public input. Ultimately, the commission will produce a report detailing its findings, reviewing public health systems in other states, identifying strengths and weaknesses in Massachusetts, and offering recommendations on organizational and financial models, resource sharing, data reporting, dedicated funding streams, and workforce development, with a final report due by July 31, 2017.