Mississippi § 41-3-13 - Findings; WISEWOMAN

§ 41-3-13. Findings; WISEWOMAN

The Legislature makes the following findings: Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems. Screening tests are currently available that can detect heart disease, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and other chronic diseases early, when they can be most effectively treated, managed or controlled. The risk factors for many chronic diseases can be addressed and reduced through education about those risk factors and the importance of actions that can be taken for prevention of chronic diseases. People should partner with their health care providers to have their risk factors assessed, monitored and managed in accordance with national guidelines, and should be educated about the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke and the importance of getting help quickly at the onset of those symptoms. Mississippi should have programs that are specifically designed to reduce the incidences of chronic diseases among our population. The State Department of Health is authorized in its discretion to establish the WISEWOMAN pilot program and the WISEMAN pilot program, the purposes and goals of which are to reduce the incidences of certain chronic diseases among Mississippians through education, prevention and early screening and detection. The pilot program shall be conditioned upon the availability of funds obtained for such purpose from public or private sources. The focus of the WISEWOMAN pilot program shall be heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer in women, and the focus of the WISEMAN pilot program shall be heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and diabetes in men. At a minimum, the WISEWOMAN and WISEMAN pilot programs shall: Provide for education about healthy behaviors and how to reduce the risk factors for those chronic diseases; Provide for screening and testing to detect those chronic diseases early when they can be effectively treated, managed or controlled; and Be directed toward those populations at greatest need and be based on a foundation of scientific evidence. In implementing the WISEWOMAN and WISEMAN pilot programs, the department shall contract with public or private clinics or agencies that have demonstrated success in reducing incidences of those chronic diseases through education, prevention and early screening and detection. The department shall seek and apply for grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public or private entities to obtain funding for the WISEWOMAN and WISEMAN pilot programs.