Bill > S1147

This bill establishes a commission on malnutrition prevention within the department of public health, tasked with investigating and studying the impact of malnutrition on older adults in the commonwealth and identifying effective strategies for its reduction. The commission will be composed of various state officials or their designees, including those from public health, elder affairs, transitional assistance, and agricultural resources, along with legislative representatives and nine governor-appointed members with expertise in medicine, research, nutrition, healthcare systems, nursing, and aging advocacy organizations. Its responsibilities include improving data collection on malnutrition risk, assessing its incidence and impact across different care settings, developing public awareness campaigns, identifying evidence-based strategies to reduce malnutrition and related health issues like re-hospitalizations and infections, and examining ways to disseminate proven prevention interventions such as community nutrition programs and medical nutrition therapy, while also identifying barriers to their implementation.