EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill amends various Acts to require the making of specified instruments in order to implement the recommendations set out in the “Clinical Handbook for Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-occlusive Crisis”, published by the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Further, amendments are made to the Connecting Care Act, 2019 to require the Minister of Health to conduct reviews to determine whether health care funding is sufficient for patients with sickle cell disease and for communities impacted by the disease.

Finally, the Anti-Racism Act, 2017 is amended to require the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, Ontario Health and any person receiving funding from the Government of Ontario to provide health care services to take all reasonable steps to ensure that information relating to the race of patients in Ontario is collected.

Bill 233 2020

An Act to amend various Acts with respect to the implementation of a provincial guideline on sickle cell disease

Preamble

The people of Ontario and their government:

Recognize that people with chronic conditions like sickle cell disease may receive inconsistent care across the province.

Recognize that sickle cell disease disproportionately affects specific groups, like Black Ontarians, who have historically received inadequate care because of the lack of knowledge of the symptoms of and treatment for sickle cell disease.

Recognize that people who suffer from sickle cell disease experience chronic symptoms that should be recognized as a disability.

Believe that implementing a provincial guideline on sickle cell disease will reduce the average hospital stay and visits to emergency departments.

Believe that a provincial guideline on sickle cell disease is part of a larger goal of delivering patient-centred care within a provincial health care system that meets the health care needs of racialized and vulnerable populations and delivers equitable outcomes.

Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Anti-Racism Act, 2017

1 (1)  Subsection 6 (7) of the Anti-Racism Act, 2017 is repealed.

(2)  The Act is amended by adding the following section:

Mandatory collection in the health sector

6.1  (1)  The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, Ontario Health and any person who receives funding from the Government of Ontario to provide health care services shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that information relating to the race of patients in Ontario is collected.

Same

(2)  Unless already provided for in the data standards and the regulations made under subsection 6 (5), the data standards are deemed to list any personal information necessary for the purposes of subsection (1) and the regulations are deemed to require the collection of such personal information.

Connecting Care Act, 2019

2 The Connecting Care Act, 2019 is amended by adding the following section:

Directives respecting sickle cell disease

20.1  (1)  The Minister shall issue directives under section 20 that are necessary to effectively implement the recommendations set out in the document entitled “Clinical Handbook for Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-occlusive Crisis”, published by the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and dated December 12, 2017.

Review

(2)  The Minister shall ensure that reviews are conducted to determine whether health care funding is sufficient for patients with sickle cell disease and for communities impacted by the disease.

Consultation

(3)  Any review referred to under subsection (2) shall include consultation with patient advocacy groups.

Timing of reviews

(4)  The first review referred to in subsection (2) shall be conducted within one year after the Improving Access to Health Care Act, 2020 comes into force and subsequent reviews shall be conducted within five years of the completion of the previous review.

Local Health System Integration Act, 2006

3 The Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following section:

Provincial standards on sickle cell disease

11.3  The Minister shall issue provincial standards under section 11.2 to local health integration networks and health service providers that are necessary to effectively implement the recommendations set out in the document entitled “Clinical Handbook for Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-occlusive Crisis”, published by the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and dated December 12, 2017.

Public Hospitals Act

4 The Public Hospitals Act is amended by adding the following section:

Directives respecting sickle cell disease

8.2  The Minister shall issue any operational or policy directives under section 8.1 to the boards of hospitals that are necessary to effectively implement the recommendations set out in the document entitled “Clinical Handbook for Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-occlusive Crisis”, published by the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and dated December 12, 2017.

Commencement

5 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

6 The short title of this Act is the Improving Access to Health Care Act, 2020.