Indiana Senator Mike Bohacek met with the Marshall County Commissioners and the Marshall County Council Friday morning in a joint meeting to discuss aspects of Senate Bill 4.
Funding for this bill would be $300 million.
The bill discusses the public health commission and allows the state department to issue guidance to local health departments, and there is a concern that there will be a loss of local control of the Health Department. Senator Bohacek said structurally there will be no changes, but there will be a change in funding. He said there would be more reporting and other work in that regard, but there should be local control. There would be an opt-in or opt-out process.
The bill also would create an Indiana trauma care commission where trauma care has been a matter of concern for years. Senator Bohacek said there is a survivability component where a person should be in a trauma center in 20-30 minutes following a trauma event. Air ambulances have become widely used, but it is expensive. Some funding could be used to subsidize the effort to address trauma care.
The bill specifies that certain vision screenings in schools for students may be performed by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, allows for standing orders to be used for emergency stock medication in schools, allows the state health commissioner or designee to issue a statewide standing order, prescription, or protocol for emergency stock medication for schools, and removes the distance requirement for an access practice dentist to provide communication with a dental hygienist.
Marshall County Public Health Officer Dr. Byron Holm commented that the bill’s intent is good. He said the main function of the Health Department is increase health and wellness of the community mainly by prevention. He said any dollars that can be given to assist the Health Department in educating the public can improve the county.
Senator Bohacek will take concerns of the commissioners and council about funding, control and more of the process if the bill is approved and get some answers and make time to talk more about bills in another type of joint meeting.
