AN ACT Relating to rural health care; amending RCW 70.38.065; adding a new section to chapter 43.20A RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.31 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.63A RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 50.12 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.20A RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The availability and access to basic health care services in rural areas is a primary concern for the continued social and economic viability of rural communities;

(b) The health care industry in a rural community can be an important provider of employment for the people of the community. Furthermore, since employers consider the availability of quality health care as an important factor in locating businesses in rural communities, economic development strategies must address the availability of quality health services;

(c) The health care industry is undergoing major transformations and traditional rural health care delivery systems will need to be restructured to continue to meet the health care services needs of rural communities;

(d) The continued availability of health care services in rural communities will partially depend on local initiatives to identify, assess, and respond to community health care needs;

(e) State government technical and financial assistance provided through existing community and economic development programs should be used to assist local communities to restructure the delivery of local health care.

(2) The department shall consult with the departments of community development, employment security, and trade and economic development to coordinate the provision of technical and financial assistance services to address the viability of rural health care delivery systems. Coordination shall include:

(a) Assuring the agencies' technical and financial services are identified and that information is available to rural communities;

(b) Facilitating communication between the agencies to assure that services are delivered in a cost- efficient and productive manner; and

(c) Identifying and making known to the agencies problems and issues related to the coordinated provision of technical and financial assistance to rural communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.31 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The availability and access to basic health care services in rural areas is a primary concern for the continued social and economic viability of rural communities;

(d) The continued availability of health care services in rural communities will partially depend on local initiatives to identify, assess, and respond to community health care needs;

(2) The department shall address the viability of rural health care delivery systems as an important goal of the business assistance and economic development activities. The department shall work in conjunction with the departments of social and health services, community development, and employment security to develop a coordinated effort to provide technical and financial assistance to rural communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.63A RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The availability and access to basic health care services in rural areas is a primary concern for the continued social and economic viability of rural communities;

(d) The continued availability of health care services in rural communities will partially depend on local initiatives to identify, assess, and respond to community health care needs;

(2) The department shall address the viability of rural health care delivery systems as an important goal of community, economic, and business development and technical and financial assistance activities. The department shall work in conjunction with the departments of social and health services, trade and economic development, and employment security to develop a coordinated effort to provide technical and financial assistance to rural communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 50.12 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The availability and access to basic health care services in rural areas is a primary concern for the continued social and economic viability of rural communities;

(d) The continued availability of health care services in rural communities will partially depend on local initiatives to identify, assess, and respond to community health care needs;

(2) The commissioner shall address the availability of rural health care delivery systems as an important goal of the employment training activities. The department of employment security shall work in conjunction with the departments of social and health services, community development, and trade and economic development to develop a coordinated effort to provide technical and financial assistance to rural communities.

Sec. 5. Section 6, chapter 161, Laws of 1979 ex. sess. as last amended by section 5, chapter 235, Laws of 1983 and RCW 70.38.065 are each amended to read as follows:

The council is authorized and empowered to

(1) Exercise such duties and powers as are required for state-wide health coordinating councils in federal law((.));

(2) Establish, in consultation with the designated regional health councils, requirements for a uniform format and content for materials to be submitted by regional health councils to assist in development of the state health plan, and develop at least biennially the state health plan((.));

(3) Submit the council-adopted health plan to the secretary for review and comment and submission to the governor for adoption as the state health plan for the state. The governor may disapprove or modify the plan. The governor, in disapproving or modifying a state health plan, shall make public a written explanation of the actions taken. As approved by the governor, the plan shall be the state health plan;

(4) Serve as a clearinghouse of information on activities by the departments of community development, employment security, and trade and economic development that offer financial and technical assistance to communities that seek to improve the delivery of rural health care services, including the development and annual update of information for the public of state agency technical and financial assistance programs.