On June 29, President Bush signed into law the Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005.It sets aside $25 million through the year 2010 to be used on programs that will "recruit, assign, train, and employ patient navigators who have direct knowledge of the communities they serve" to:
- Act as a contact for healthcare services
- Involve community organizations to improve access to high quality healthcare services
- Involve eligible individuals in clinical trials
- Assist individuals in overcoming healthcare barriers
- Provide information about health insurance
- Seek out and provide services to underserved populations: uninsured, rural, at risk for or have chronic disease
This legislation should help people who may be at risk for, or have, diabetes to obtain healthcare services, especially if they're in a medically underserved group or area.
For a summary of the legislation:
“Patient Navigator” Legislation Will Help Expand Access to Diabetes Prevention and Treatment, USA
For the text of the legislation:
Visit Congress's online legislation database and enter "Patient Navigator" in the search box.
Photo of President Bush signing the Patient Navigator Act thanks to White House News Releases
