Kentucky HB 185: AN ACT relating to child and maternal fatality teams.

Bill Text

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AN ACT relating to child and maternal fatality teams. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 211.684 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) For the purposes of KRS Chapter 211: 4
(a) "Child fatality" means the death of a person under the age of eighteen (18) 5
years; 6
(b) "Local child and maternal fatality response team" and "local team" means a 7
community team composed of representatives of agencies, offices, and 8
institutions that investigate child and maternal deaths, including but not 9
limited to, coroners, social service workers, medical professionals, law 10
enforcement officials, and Commonwealth's and county attorneys; and 11
(c) "Maternal fatality" means the death of a woman within one (1) year of giving 12
birth. 13
(2) The Department for Public Health shall [may ]establish a state child and maternal 14
fatality review team. The state team may include representatives of public health, 15
social services, law enforcement, prosecution, coroners, health-care providers, and 16
other agencies or professions deemed appropriate by the commissioner of the 17
department. 18
(3) [If a state team is created, ]The duties of the state team shall [may ]include the 19
following: 20
(a) Develop and distribute a model protocol for local child and maternal fatality 21
response teams for the investigation of child and maternal fatalities; 22
(b) Facilitate the development of local child and maternal fatality response teams 23
which may include, but is not limited to, providing joint training opportunities 24
and, upon request, providing technical assistance; 25
(c) Review and approve local protocols prepared and submitted by local teams; 26
(d) Receive data and information on child and maternal fatalities and analyze the 27

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information to identify trends, patterns, and risk factors; 1
(e) Evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and intervention strategies adopted; 2
and 3
(f) Recommend changes in state programs, legislation, administrative regulations, 4
policies, budgets, and treatment and service standards which may facilitate 5
strategies for prevention and reduce the number of child and maternal 6
fatalities. 7
(4) The department shall prepare an annual report to be submitted no later than 8
November 1 of each year to the Governor, the Child Welfare Oversight and 9
Advisory Committee established in KRS 6.943, and the Chief Justice of the 10
Kentucky Supreme Court, and to be made available to the citizens of the 11
Commonwealth. The report shall include a statistical analysis of the incidence and 12
causes of child and maternal fatalities in the Commonwealth during the past fiscal 13
year and recommendations for action. The report shall not include any information 14
which would identify specific child and maternal fatality cases. 15
Section 2. KRS 211.686 is amended to read as follows: 16
(1) A local child and maternal fatality response team shall[may] be established in every 17
county or group of contiguous counties by the coroner or coroners with jurisdiction 18
in the county or counties. The local coroner may authorize the creation of additional 19
local teams within the coroner's jurisdiction as needed. 20
(2) Membership of the local team may include representatives of the coroner, the local 21
office of the Department for Community Based Services, law enforcement agencies 22
with investigation responsibilities for child and maternal fatalities which occur 23
within the jurisdiction of the local team, the Commonwealth's and county attorneys, 24
representatives of the medical profession, and other members whose participation 25
the local team believes is important to carry out its purpose. Each local team 26
member shall be appointed by the agency the member is representing and shall 27

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serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. 1
(3) The purpose of the local child and maternal fatality response team shall be to: 2
(a) Allow each member to share specific and unique information with the local 3
team; 4
(b) Generate overall investigative direction and emphasis through team 5
coordination and sharing of specialized information; 6
(c) Create a body of information that will assist in the coroner's effort to 7
accurately identify the cause and reasons for death; and 8
(d) Facilitate the appropriate response by each member agency to the fatality, 9
including but not limited to, intervention on behalf of others who may be 10
adversely affected by the situation, implementation of health services 11
necessary for protection of other citizens, further investigation by law 12
enforcement, or legal action by Commonwealth's or county attorneys. 13
(4) The local team shall[may]: 14
(a) Analyze information regarding local child and maternal fatalities to identify 15
trends, patterns, and risk factors;