BILL REQ. #:  S-1297.1 

Read first time 02/14/2003.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to the creation of health skills panels in local areas to address health care personnel shortages; adding new sections to chapter 28C.18 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds and declares that:
     (1) There is a severe shortage of health care personnel in Washington state.
     (2) The shortage contributes to increased costs in health care and threatens the ability of the industry to provide adequate and accessible health care services.
     (3) The shortage poses a serious threat to the financial stability of the health care industry, and consequently the state.
     (4) The shortage of health care personnel is structural rather than cyclical due to demographic changes that will increase demand for health care services. An increasing proportion of the population will reach retirement age, and an increasing proportion of health care personnel will also reach retirement age.
     (5) Health skills panels comprising local health employers, local education and training providers, and local labor representatives are an effective way to identify needs and address health workers shortages at the local level.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The board shall work with local work force development councils to address health care personnel shortages. The board shall provide support for the expansion of activities of existing health skills panels and work with areas that do not have health skills panels to establish such entities.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Local health skills panels shall facilitate the implementation of the following strategies, if appropriate to the specific needs of their area:
     (1) Coordinate clinical training to expand capacity for clinical training;
     (2) Develop faculty/staff-sharing arrangements between education and training providers, and between education and training providers and health care facilities;
     (3) Pool resources, share equipment and space, and develop distance learning where possible;
     (4) Leverage resources to increase educational capacity;
     (5) Develop apprenticeships in health occupations;
     (6) Work with local school districts and high schools to develop health sciences and work-based learning opportunities, strengthen math and science skills, and create awareness of opportunities in health careers in middle school;
     (7) Develop articulation agreements between educational institutions to enable students to gain credit for prior training or skills learned on-the-job;
     (8) Ensure that local area employment and training staff have the skills and knowledge of local opportunities in high demand health care occupations to direct clients to training and employment in high demand careers;
     (9) Develop customized training opportunities for entry-level health care workers to enable them to move up career ladders and fill high demand positions;
     (10) Develop financial aid opportunities and other forms of support for students to begin and complete health care education and training; and
     (11) Consider any other strategies that are specific to the needs of the area in order to increase the supply of health care workers that are in shortage.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Sections 2 and 3 of this act are each added to chapter 28C.18 RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   Sections 1 through 3 of this act expire June 30, 2007.