Senate Bill No. 239 mandates that hospitals, during their community health needs assessments, identify the nutritional needs of individuals with diabetes and congestive heart failure. Specifically, the bill requires hospitals to include these nutritional needs in their assessments and to incorporate medically tailored and food-based interventions in their implementation strategies, as long as such actions are permissible under federal law. This new requirement is added as subsection (j) to Section 19a-127k of the general statutes, effective October 1, 2026.

The bill does not impose any fiscal impact on the state or municipalities, as it merely adjusts the requirements for community health needs assessments, which are not mandatory for UConn Health. Additionally, the bill clarifies the language in subsection (j) by changing "examine" to "identify" for improved clarity. Overall, the legislation aims to enhance the nutritional support for patients with diabetes and congestive heart failure within community health frameworks.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill:
PH Joint Favorable Substitute:
File No. 31: