HEALTH CARE POLICY

Healthcare Policy

Table of Contents

Policy Issue & Description3

Statement of Problem3

History of the Policy Issue3

Background4

Stakeholders-Cost/Benefit Issues5

Consequences6

Legal, Administrative and Political Feasibility7

Policy Goals8

Alternatives11

Recommendations11

Summary & Conclusion12

References14

Healthcare Policy

Policy Issue & Description

Improving diabetic health outcomes for school students is the goal of legislation authored by state Rep. Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga) and passed by the House Human Services Committee. 

Statement of Problem

As someone who has several family members with diabetes, it is necessary to understand the challenges of managing this particular disease and the difficulty for parents in relying on others to care for their child when they are not around. As parents who may be in this situation know, school nurses are wonderful professionals who, unfortunately, cannot be everywhere at once. That being said, many parents would like the reassurance of knowing that another school employee in their child's school has the training necessary to spot the signs of diabetic trouble and deliver treatment if it becomes necessary. That is what House Bill 1338 will do. (Hall 2007)

Specifically, House Bill 1338 would provide the option for school districts to designate a school employee who is not a licensed health care provider to assist a diabetic student with monitoring blood glucose and administering treatment. 

History of the Policy Issue

Diabetes Care in Non-public Schools shall comply with the training of school employees and provision of diabetes-related care to a student with diabetes required under sections 1414.2, 1414.3 and 1414.4. A written education plan that outlines the aids and related services required to meet the academic needs of the student with diabetes may take the place of a service agreement for a student with diabetes attending a nonpublic school unless a service agreement is otherwise required under law or regulation.

Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as well to private and parochial schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the laws relating thereto," in school health services, further providing for definitions; and providing for training of school employees in diabetes care and management and for possession and use of diabetes medication and monitoring equipment. (Himmelstein and Woolhandler 2007)

For those offenders who are sentenced by the court to a term of imprisonment in a county jail or regional correctional facility, the court may commit the offender to the legal and physical custody of the administrator of the jail or correctional facility who shall make the decision as to whether the use of electronic home detention or global positioning system monitoring is appropriate for that offender. Except for an offense for which the law requires mandatory incarceration, electronic home detention or global positioning system monitoring may be used for adult and juvenile offenders as selected by the court, the administrator, the parole board, or the department for adult offenders as an intermediate measure of supervised probation, and for delinquent juvenile offenders in the custody of the division of juvenile services as a condition of community placement. (Richard 2011)

Background

"Diabetes medical management plan" means a document describing the medical orders or ...