NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1977 SESSION

CHAPTER 923
SENATE BILL 903

AN ACT TO AMEND G.S. 143B-371 AND G.S. 143B-137 CONCERNING THE POLICY OF ADDRESSING PROBLEMS THROUGH PREVENTION.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  G.S. 143B-371 is amended by inserting a new subdivision (4a) to read as follows:
"(4a)	Establish priorities in order to pursue a comprehensive plan to avert the exorbitant social and economic costs of diseases, deformities, and other human miseries. These costs can be drastically reduced by the adoption of a policy of prevention designed to ease the emotional and financial burdens resulting from fragmented and piecemeal efforts to deal with problems after they arise, as well as to ensure a higher quality of life for the citizens of this State."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 143B-137 is hereby amended at the end thereof by adding a new sentence to read as follows:
"Whenever possible the department shall emphasize preventive measures to avoid or to reduce the need for costly emergency treatments that often result from lack of forethought. Therefore, it shall be the policy of this department to establish priorities to eliminate those excessive expenses incurred by the State for lack of adequate funding or careful planning of preventive measures."
Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 1st day of July, 1977.