Authority: §§ 32.1-11.1, 32.1-11.2, and 32.1-35 through 32.1-73, Code of Virginia; and P.L. 91-464, as amended, Federal Code.
A. Out of this appropriation, $50,000 the first year and $50,000 the second year from the general fund shall be used to purchase medications for individuals who have tuberculosis but who do not qualify for free or reduced prescription drugs and who do not have adequate income or insurance coverage to purchase the required prescription drugs.
B. Out of this appropriation, $40,000 the first year and $40,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided to the Division of Tuberculosis Control for the purchase of medications and supplies for individuals who have drug-resistant tuberculosis and require treatment with expensive, second-line antimicrobial agents.
C. The requirement for testing of tuberculosis isolates set out in § 32.1-50 E, Code of Virginia, shall be satisfied by the submission of samples to the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, or such other laboratory as may be designated by the Board of Health.
D. Out of this appropriation, $840,288 the first year and $840,288 the second year from nongeneral funds shall be used to purchase the Tdap (tetanus/diptheria/pertussis) vaccine for children without insurance.
E. Out of this appropriation, $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided to the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program (SPAP) for insurance premium payments, coinsurance payments, and other out-of-pocket costs for individuals participating in the Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) with incomes between 135 percent and 300 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines and who are Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
F. The State Health Commissioner shall monitor patients who have been removed or diverted from the Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program due to budget considerations. At a minimum the Commissioner shall monitor patients to determine if they have been successfully enrolled in a private Pharmacy Assistance Program or other program to receive appropriate anti-retroviral medications. The commissioner shall also monitor the program to assess whether a waiting list has developed for services provided through the ADAP program. The commissioner shall report findings to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees annually on October 1.
G. Out of this appropriation, $50,000 the first year from the general fund shall be used for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to design and conduct a pilot epidemiological study of the human health effects of land application of biosolids. In designing and conducting the pilot study, VDH shall contract with third parties, such as researchers at Virginia institutions of higher education, as needed. VDH shall be assisted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as needed. Following completion of the pilot study, VDH shall submit its findings and a proposed design for a full-scale epidemiological study, if needed, to the Senate Finance, and Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committees; and the House Appropriations, and Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committees.
H. Out of this appropriation, $50,000 the first year from the general fund shall be used for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to perform sample testing of Class B biosolids that are land applied in Virginia to determine their pathogen content. VDH shall use test results to inform its epidemiological pilot study and assessment of aerosol infection risks.