An Act To Reduce the Cost of Care Resulting from Blood-borne Infectious Diseases

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine has a reported rate of acute hepatitis C nearly 3 times the average rate found in the United States, a rate largely driven by sharing syringes. Untreated hepatitis C can be fatal; and

Whereas,  the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has flagged several Maine counties as being susceptible to an HIV outbreak akin to the surge in new cases of HIV in Scott County, Indiana, where new cases of HIV increased from an average of 5 per year to 190 in 2015 alone. Analysts determined this crisis was fueled by injection drug use and lack of access to syringe exchange programs and testing services; and

Whereas,  the comparative cost of treating these problems is far more than the cost of preventing these problems; and

Whereas,  while most other states with legal syringe exchange programs publicly fund those programs, Maine does not. Maine's network of 5 syringe exchange programs is lacking in resources, and, in some cases, programs are closing their doors. Also, many residents, especially residents in rural counties, lack access to these programs altogether; and

Whereas,  the longer it takes the Legislature to act on this crisis, the more likely the network of syringe exchange programs will continue to deteriorate; and

Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Sec. 1. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention 0143

Initiative: Provides funds to support hypodermic apparatus exchange programs pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 1341, subsection 4.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19
All Other	$75,000	$75,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$75,000	$75,000

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill provides funds to support hypodermic apparatus, or syringe, exchange programs.