(1) The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that:

(a) Hepatitis C is a silent killer, being largely asymptomatic until irreversible liver damage may have occurred;

(b) Hepatitis C has been characterized by the world health organization as a disease of primary concern to humanity;

(c) Currently, approximately four million five hundred thousand Americans are infected with hepatitis C, and there are approximately thirty thousand new infections occurring each year in the United States;

(d) The center for disease control estimates that approximately twelve thousand individuals die each year due to the consequences of hepatitis C, and this number continues to grow each year;

(e) Hepatitis C is considered such a public health threat that the United States department of health and human services has launched a comprehensive plan to address it, beginning with the identification and notification of the hundreds of thousands of persons inadvertently exposed to hepatitis C through blood transfusion; and

(f) In the absence of a vaccine for hepatitis C, emphasis must be placed on other means of disease awareness and prevention, including but not limited to education of police officers, firefighters, health care professionals, and the general public. This approach may be the only means of halting the spread of this devastating disease.

(2) The general assembly further declares that the purpose of this part 20 is to create and develop a program that will:

(a) Heighten awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of hepatitis C by disseminating educational materials and information about services and strategies for detection and treatment to patients and the general public;

(b) Promote public awareness and knowledge about the risk factors, the value of early detection, and the options available for the treatment of hepatitis C;

(c) Utilize any available technical assistance from and any educational and training resources and services that have been developed by organizations with appropriate expertise and knowledge of hepatitis C;

(d) Design a model screening process to provide guidelines for health care professionals to use to prevent further transmission of the hepatitis C virus and prevent onset of chronic liver disease caused by hepatitis C by detecting and treating chronic hepatitis C virus infection;

(e) Evaluate existing hepatitis C support services in the community and assess the need for improving the quality and accessibility of these services; and

(f) Provide easy access to clear, complete, and accurate hepatitis C and patient referral services information.

(3) The general assembly further finds, determines, and declares that it is the intent of the general assembly to provide funding for the hepatitis C program created in this part 20 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and to review the effectiveness of and the necessity for the hepatitis C program in determining the reasonableness and the amount of future funding, if any.