HBA-MPM S.B. 1289 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1289 By: Carona Public Health 5/8/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of an injury prevention center is to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries through education, public information, data collection, community advocacy, and research. Senate Bill 1289 requires the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to designate a model center for injury prevention for the state and requires the model center to coordinate injury prevention control activities for the state in the manner prescribed by TDH rule. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Department of Health in SECTION 1 (Section 780.002, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 1289 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to designate a model center for injury prevention for the state (model center). The bill establishes the criteria an injury prevention center must meet in order to be designated as the model center. The bill provides that TDH's designation is for a five-year period. The model center is required to coordinate injury prevention control activities for the state in the manner that TDH prescribes by rule. TDH is authorized to adopt rules permitting the model center to provide services for regions served by other injury prevention centers in Texas as necessary to maximize efficient use of resources and provide appropriate services. The bill requires the model center to affiliate with a level one, two, or three trauma center as defined by the American College of Surgeons. The bill requires the model center to work with communities and neighborhoods to establish injury prevention priorities, help communities define and implement interventions, maintain a best practices website, develop links between electronic databases to provide data to community entities, bring community entities together to address injury issues, and undertake a continuing epidemiologic evaluation of the effectiveness of community-based interventions in reducing the number and extent of injuries and in reducing costs. S.B. 1289 requires the model center to serve as the statewide resource center to provide: _assistance on how to develop and implement an injury prevention program; _assistance on how to develop effective coalitions; _public awareness campaigns on injury reductions; and _technical assistance on how to develop and implement an evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of injury prevention interventions. The model center is required to develop and publish a statewide strategic plan regarding the center's activities and ways to improve injury prevention efforts in Texas. S.B. 1289 authorizes the model center to conduct a research program to improve treatment for trauma victims and to reduce the severity of trauma injuries. The center is authorized to accept gifts or grants to be used for research. TDH is authorized to approve grants to the model center according to rules adopted under the provisions of this bill. The bill also authorizes TDH to accept gifts or grants for purposes related to the model center. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.