Bill > H4458

This bill establishes a special commission on local and regional public health to evaluate how well municipal and regional public health systems are working and to suggest ways to improve public health services and preventative care. The commission will be made up of various officials, including the Secretary of Administration and Finance, the Commissioner of Public Health (who will lead the commission), the Commissioners of Environmental Protection and Agricultural Resources, legislative appointees, and representatives from several public health and taxpayer organizations, as well as individuals with specific expertise in public health data, community health centers, hospital systems, workforce development, and different sizes of municipalities and regional service models. The commission's tasks include comparing local public health capabilities to national standards, assessing the ability of local authorities to fulfill their duties, examining funding levels, evaluating the public health workforce's qualifications, reviewing the capacity of the state's public health office, studying different regional collaboration models, and tracking progress on previous recommendations for regionalization. The commission is also authorized to gather public feedback through hearings and testimony.