House Amendment 1033


PAG LIN




     1  1    Amend House File 374 as follows:
     1  2 #1.  Page 1, by inserting after line 35 the
     1  3 following:
     1  4    <Sec.    .  NEW SECTION.  135.20  HEPATITIS C
     1  5 AWARENESS PROGRAM == VETERANS == VACCINATIONS.
     1  6    1.  The department shall establish and administer a
     1  7 hepatitis C awareness program.  The goal of the
     1  8 program shall be to distribute information to veterans
     1  9 regarding the higher incidence of hepatitis C exposure
     1 10 and infection among veterans, the dangers presented by
     1 11 the disease, and contacts for additional information
     1 12 and referrals.  For purposes of this section,
     1 13 "veteran" means an individual meeting the definition
     1 14 contained in section 35.1.
     1 15    2.  The information to be distributed shall be
     1 16 determined by the department by rule, in consultation
     1 17 with the commission of veterans affairs.  The
     1 18 information shall, at a minimum, contain statements
     1 19 indicating that:
     1 20    a.  The federal department of veterans affairs
     1 21 estimates a hepatitis C infection rate in veterans
     1 22 more than three times higher than for the general
     1 23 population.
     1 24    b.  The infection rate for Vietnam veterans is
     1 25 estimated to be even higher than for other veterans
     1 26 groups.
     1 27    c.  The disease is caused by a bloodborne virus
     1 28 readily transmitted during combat and combat=related
     1 29 emergency medical treatment.
     1 30    d.  Many veterans currently carrying the virus were
     1 31 infected prior to the development of medical screening
     1 32 tests.
     1 33    e.  The hepatitis C virus often resolves into a
     1 34 chronic infection without symptoms for ten to thirty
     1 35 years before signs of resultant liver disease appear.
     1 36    f.  This unusually long latency period makes it
     1 37 difficult to connect current symptoms with an
     1 38 infection that may have actually been contracted
     1 39 during military service decades ago.
     1 40    The information shall also present treatment
     1 41 options and shall specify a procedure to be followed
     1 42 for veterans desiring a medical consultation for
     1 43 screening and treatment purposes.  The department
     1 44 shall cooperate with the state commission of veterans
     1 45 affairs regarding distribution of the information to
     1 46 the veterans home, the county commissions of veteran
     1 47 affairs, veterans hospitals, and other appropriate
     1 48 points of distribution.>
     1 49 #2.  Page 2, by inserting after line 16 the
     1 50 following:
     2  1    <Sec.    .  VETERANS HEPATITIS C AWARENESS PROGRAM
     2  2 REPORT.  The Iowa department of public health shall
     2  3 submit a report to the members of the general assembly
     2  4 by January 1, 2007, regarding the development and
     2  5 distribution of the information required by the
     2  6 section of this Act enacting section 135.20 and any
     2  7 resulting impact.>
     2  8 #3.  Title page, line 4, by inserting after the
     2  9 word <veterans,> the following:  <establishing a
     2 10 hepatitis C awareness program for veterans,>.
     2 11 #4.  By renumbering as necessary.
     2 12
     2 13
     2 14                               
     2 15 GREINER of Washington
     2 16 HF 374.201 81
     2 17 ec/sh/1415

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