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SUBSTITUTE
SENATE BILL 6020
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Passed
Legislature - 2001 Regular Session
State
of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By
READ
FIRST TIME 02/21/01.
Establishing a school sealant endorsement program for
dental hygienists.
AN
ACT Relating to access to dental care; adding a new section to chapter 43.70
RCW; adding a new section to chapter 18.29 RCW; adding a new section to chapter
18.32 RCW; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 1. The
legislature finds that access to preventive and restorative oral health
services by low-income children is currently restricted by complex regulatory,
financial, cultural, and geographic barriers that have resulted in a large
number of children suffering unnecessarily from dental disease. The
legislature also finds that very early exposure to oral health care can reverse
this disease in many cases, thereby significantly reducing costs of providing
dental services to low-income populations.
It
is the intent of the legislature to address the problem of poor access to oral
health care by providing for school-based sealant programs through the endorsement
of dental hygienists.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 2. A
new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW to read as follows:
The
secretary is authorized to create a school sealant endorsement program for
dental hygienists and dental assistants. The secretary of health, in
consultation with the dental quality assurance commission and the dental
hygiene examining committee, shall adopt rules to implement this section.
(1)
A dental hygienist licensed in this state after the effective date of this act
is eligible to apply for endorsement by the department of health as a school
sealant dental hygienist upon completion of the Washington state school sealant
endorsement program. While otherwise authorized to act, currently licensed hygienists
may still elect to apply for the endorsement.
(2)
A dental assistant employed after the effective date of this act by a dentist
licensed in this state, who has worked under dental supervision for at least
two hundred hours, is eligible to apply for endorsement by the department of
health as a school sealant dental assistant upon completion of the Washington
state school sealant endorsement program. While otherwise authorized to act,
currently employed dental assistants may still elect to apply for the
endorsement.
(3)
The department may impose a fee for implementation of this section.
(4)
The secretary shall provide a report to the legislature by December 1, 2005,
evaluating the outcome of this act.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 3. A
new section is added to chapter 18.29 RCW to read as follows:
(1)
For low-income, rural, and other at-risk populations and in coordination with
local public health jurisdictions and local oral health coalitions, a dental
hygienist licensed in this state as of the effective date of this act may
assess for and apply sealants and apply fluoride varnishes in community-based
sealant programs carried out in schools without attending the department's
school sealant endorsement program.
(2)
For low-income, rural, and other at-risk populations and in coordination with
local public health jurisdictions and local oral health coalitions, dental
hygienists who are school sealant endorsed under section 2 of this act may
assess for and apply sealants and fluoride varnishes in community-based sealant
programs carried out in schools.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 4. A
new section is added to chapter 18.32 RCW to read as follows:
(1)
For low-income, rural, and other at-risk populations and in coordination with
local public health jurisdictions and local oral health coalitions, a dental
assistant working as of the effective date of this act under the supervision of
a licensed dentist may apply sealants and fluoride varnishes under the general
supervision of a dentist in community-based sealant programs carried out in
schools without attending the department's school sealant endorsement program.
(2)
For low-income, rural, and other at-risk populations and in coordination with
local public health jurisdictions and local oral health coalitions, dental
assistants who are school sealant endorsed under section 2 of this act may
apply sealants and fluoride varnishes under the general supervision of a
dentist in community-based sealant programs carried out in schools.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 5. This
act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or
safety, or support of the state government and its existing public
institutions, and takes effect immediately.
