Chapter 081
2009 -- S 0049
Enacted 07/01/09
A N A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CENTER FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS ACT
Introduced By: Senators Pichardo, Miller, Metts, Perry, and Jabour
Date Introduced: January 14, 2009
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled
"HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby
amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
CHAPTER
17.23
CENTER
FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS
23-17.23-1.
Legislative findings. – The general assembly
finds and declares that:
(1) There is a
growing shortage of qualified nurses and healthcare professionals available
to meet the needs of patients in healthcare facilities
in
“Help wanted: The growing crisis in
Island shape foundation;
(2) Healthcare
facilities serving the citizens of the state are experiencing increasing
difficulty in attracting nurses to administer to their patients;
(3) Quality
healthcare depends, in part, on the availability of nurses and healthcare
professionals;
(4) It is in the
public interest and essential to the welfare and well-being of the inhabitants
of the state that there be a sufficient number of nurses
and healthcare workers in the state to serve
the healthcare needs of patients; and
(5) It is vital to
the welfare of the state’s citizenry that incentives be
provided to attract
and retain nurses and healthcare professionals to provide
service in healthcare facilities
throughout the state.
23-17.23-2. Center
for health professions established. – There is hereby created a
center for health professions under the auspices of the
health partnership council of
for the purpose of developing a sufficient, diverse, and
well trained healthcare workforce to
ensure the citizens of
23-17.23-3.
Responsibilities of the center for health professions. –
(a) The center for
health professions will coordinate, facilitate and
communicate statewide efforts to meet supply
and demand needs for
include nursing which is experiencing the greatest workforce
shortages.
(b) The center shall
further focus on:
(1) Data collection
to support strategic decisions and policy recommendations to measure
and evaluate efforts over time and to certify on an
ongoing basis:
(i)
Current health care professions supply and demand;
(ii) Future supply
and demand; and
(iii) Gap analysis.
(2) Education and
training to ensure
systems have the resources to adequately support workforce
demand and establish the centralized
clinical placement registry to move students through the
postsecondary education pipeline in an
efficient manner.
(3) Recruitment to
increase the level of awareness and diversity of the healthcare
workforce.
(4) Research, design
and implement creative retention initiatives which will assist the
state of
(c) The center for
health professions shall serve as a repository for healthcare workforce
data and provide professional development opportunities
and research best practices with the goal
of streamlining both public and private resources and
eliminating duplication of effort.
(d) The center may
accept funding that includes, but is not limited to, monetary
contributions, contractual arrangements, in-kind services, federal
and state workforce
development appropriated funds, private and public foundation grants
and fees for service
products.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC00193
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