| R 239 |
| 2016 -- S 2594 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED Enacted 05/17/2016 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE TOPIC OF HEALTH LITERACY |
| Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Miller, Goldin, Gallo, and Satchell |
| Date Introduced: February 25, 2016 |
| WHEREAS, Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to |
| obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate |
| health decisions; and |
| WHEREAS, Health literacy affects people's ability to: |
| • Navigate the health care system, including filling out complex forms and locating |
| providers and services; |
| • Share personal information, such as health history, with providers; and |
| • Engage in self-care and chronic-disease management; and |
| WHEREAS, According to research studies, persons with limited health literacy skills are |
| more likely to skip important preventive measures and are more likely to have chronic conditions |
| and are less able to manage these conditions effectively; and |
| WHEREAS, Persons with limited health literacy skills are also significantly more likely |
| to report their health as poor and will more often make greater use of services designed to treat |
| complications of disease as opposed to using services designed to prevent complications; and |
| WHEREAS, In addition, persons with limited health literacy skills have demonstrated a |
| higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services, resulting in higher health care costs; |
| now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of fifteen (15) seventeen (17) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the |
| Rhode Island Senate, not more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the |
| President of the Senate; three (3) of whom shall be consumer advocates, to be appointed by the |
| President of the Senate; one of whom shall be a representative of higher education, to be |
| appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be the Secretary of the Executive |
| Office of Health and Human Services, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the |
| Rhode Island Community Action Association, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of |
| the Rhode Island Department of Health, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the |
| Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, or designee; one of whom shall be |
| the Director of the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs, or designee; one of whom shall be |
| the Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Education, or designee; one of whom shall |
| be the President of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, or designee; and one of whom shall |
| be the Executive Director of Health Source Rhode Island, or designee.; and two (2) culturally and |
| linguistically competent professionals to be appointed by the senate president. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory |
| commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly |
| resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu |
| of a legislator, provided that the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the political party |
| which is entitled to the appointment, consents to the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study on the topic of |
| health literacy in order to develop a strategic plan that would maximize opportunities for |
| collaboration and programs that would assist Rhode Islanders' ability to navigate the health care |
| system and improve health outcomes. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
| the call of the President of the Senate and organize and shall select a chairperson. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide |
| suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
| Governor and the President of the Senate no later than February 1, 2017, and said commission |
| shall expire on July 1, 2017. |
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| LC005075/SUB A |
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