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PRINTER'S NO. 1939
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1514
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY RAPP, WATSON, SAYLOR, HELM, CAUSER, PICKETT,
KINSEY, JAMES, DRISCOLL, ROZZI, PASHINSKI, CALTAGIRONE,
MILLARD, A. HARRIS, DEASY AND WHEELAND, JUNE 7, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JUNE 7, 2017
AN ACT
Providing for the Early Childhood Vision Care Education Program
and for powers and duties of the Department of Health.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Early
Childhood Vision Care Education Act.
Section 2. Findings.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) The National Institutes of Health reports that many
vision problems develop before children reach school age.
(2) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, less than 15% of all preschool children receive
an eye examination and less than 22% of preschool children
receive some type of vision screening.
(3) Every effort must be made to ensure that, before
they reach five years of age, children receive a screening
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exam from their health care provider.
(4) Early recognition of vision disorders and eye
disease results in more effective treatment that can be sight
saving or even lifesaving.
(5) The most common disabling childhood vision disorders
include amblyopia, strabismus and significant refractive
errors.
(6) Retinoblastoma, which can be detected in a routine
eye examination, is the most common type of eye tumor in
children and is the seventh most common pediatric cancer.
(7) Children born with retinoblastoma are rarely
diagnosed at birth, with the average age of diagnosis at two
years of age.
(8) Ninety-five percent of all cases of retinoblastoma
occur in children under five years of age.
(9) Untreated, retinoblastoma is almost always fatal,
however, early diagnosis and treatment saves lives and
preserves visual function.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Amblyopia." The loss of one eye's ability to see details.
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Retinoblastoma." A cancer of one or both eyes which occurs
in young children.
"Strabismus." A disorder in which the two eyes do not line
up in the same direction and therefore do not look at the same
object at the same time.
Section 4. Early Childhood Vision Care Education Program.
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(a) Establishment.--The department shall establish the Early
Childhood Vision Care Education Program to promote public
awareness of the need for vision care for young children and the
value of early detection, diagnosis and treatment of vision
disorders and eye diseases.
(b) Duties of department.--The department shall:
(1) Establish a public education and outreach campaign
through written materials and brochures to promote the
importance of vision screening for young children and
awareness of vision disorders and eye diseases, including
amblyopia, strabismus and retinoblastoma.
(2) Develop educational materials and brochures and make
them available to parents through State and local departments
of health, hospitals, clinics, health care providers,
preschool programs, child-care providers and early childhood
programs.
(3) Develop relationships with health care providers and
health-related community-based organizations to promote and
coordinate public education programs on early childhood
vision care.
Section 5. Evaluation.
(a) Evaluation.--The department shall evaluate the Early
Childhood Vision Care Education Program every two years. The
findings shall be transmitted to the General Assembly
electronically and made available on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
(b) Required information.--The department's evaluation shall
include:
(1) A description of the material developed.
(2) How, when and where the materials are disseminated.
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(3) A description of the relationships that were
developed among the department, health care providers and
health-related community-based organizations.
(4) Any other result of the program.
Section 6. Grant acceptance.
The department may accept grants, services and property from
the Federal Government, foundations, organizations and other
entities as may be available to carry out the provisions of this
act.
Section 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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