(a) The Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force is created in the Department of Health and Human Services.

(b) The Task Force shall have 27 members. The Governor shall appoint the Chair, and the Vice-Chair shall be elected by the Task Force. The Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Division of Health Benefits in the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Division of Aging in the Department of Health and Human Services, or their designees, shall be members of the Task Force. Appointments to the Task Force shall be made as follows:

(1) By the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as follows:

a. Three members of the Senate;

b. A heart attack survivor;

c. A local health director;

d. A certified health educator;

e. A hospital administrator; and

f. A representative of the North Carolina Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

(2) By the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as follows:

a. Three members of the House of Representatives;

b. A stroke survivor;

c. A county commissioner;

d. A licensed dietitian/nutritionist;

e. A pharmacist; and

f. A registered nurse.

(3) By the Governor, as follows:

a. A practicing family physician, pediatrician, or internist;

b. A president or chief executive officer of a business upon recommendation of a North Carolina wellness council which is a member of the Wellness Councils of America;

c. A news director of a newspaper or television or radio station;

d. A volunteer of the North Carolina Affiliate of the American Heart Association;

e. A representative from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service;

f. A representative of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health; and

g. Two members at large.

(c) Each appointing authority shall assure insofar as possible that its appointees to the Task Force reflect the composition of the North Carolina population with regard to ethnic, racial, age, gender, and religious composition.

(d) The General Assembly and the Governor shall make their appointments to the Task Force not later than 30 days after the adjournment of the 1995 General Assembly, Regular Session 1995. A vacancy on the Task Force shall be filled by the original appointing authority, using the criteria set out in this section for the original appointment.

(e) The Task Force shall meet not more than twice annually at the call of the Chair.

(f) Repealed by Session Laws 2013-360, s. 12A.13, effective July 1, 2013.

(g) Members of the Task Force shall receive per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expenses in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-3.1, 138-5 and 138-6, as applicable.

(h) A majority of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its business.

(i) The Task Force may use funds allocated to it to establish two positions and for other expenditures needed to assist the Task Force in carrying out its duties.

(j) The Task Force has the following duties:

(1) To undertake a statistical and qualitative examination of the incidence of and causes of heart disease and stroke deaths and risks, including identification of subpopulations at highest risk for developing heart disease and stroke, and establish a profile of the heart disease and stroke burden in North Carolina.

(2) To publicize the profile of the heart disease and stroke burden and its preventability in North Carolina.

(3) To identify priority strategies which are effective in preventing and controlling risks for heart disease and stroke.

(4) To identify, examine limitations of, and recommend to the Governor and the General Assembly changes to existing laws, regulations, programs, services, and policies to enhance heart disease and stroke prevention by and for the people of North Carolina.

(5) To determine and recommend to the Governor and the General Assembly the funding and strategies needed to enact new or to modify existing laws, regulations, programs, services, and policies to enhance heart disease and stroke prevention by and for the people of North Carolina.

(6) To adopt and promote a statewide comprehensive Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Plan to the general public, State and local elected officials, various public and private organizations and associations, businesses and industries, agencies, potential funders, and other community resources.

(7) To identify and facilitate specific commitments to help implement the Plan from the entities listed in subdivision (6) above.

(8) To facilitate coordination of and communication among State and local agencies and organizations regarding current or future involvement in achieving the aims of the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Plan.

(9) To receive and consider reports and testimony from individuals, local health departments, community-based organizations, voluntary health organizations, and other public and private organizations statewide, to learn more about their contributions to heart disease and stroke prevention, and their ideas for improving heart disease and stroke prevention in North Carolina.

(10) Establish and maintain a Stroke Advisory Council, which shall advise the Task Force regarding the development of a statewide system of stroke care that shall include, among other items, a system for identifying and disseminating information about the location of primary stroke centers.

(k) Notwithstanding Section 11.57 of S.L. 1999-237, the Task Force shall submit a final report to the Governor and the General Assembly by June 30, 2003, and a report to each subsequent regular legislative session within one week of its convening. (1995-507, s. 26.9; 1997-443, ss. 11A-122, 11A-123; 2001-424, s. 21.95; 2002-126, s. 10.45; 2003-284, s. 10.33B; 2006-197, s. 1; 2013-360, s. 12A.13; 2019-81, s. 15(a).)