| Passed by the Senate March 7, 2006 YEAS 35 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House March 1, 2006 YEAS 67 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 6194 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2006 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/09/2006. Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.
AN ACT Relating to multicultural education for health professionals; adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that women and people
of color experience significant disparities from the general population
in education, employment, healthy living conditions, access to health
care, and other social determinants of health. The legislature finds
that it shall be a priority for the state to develop the knowledge,
attitudes, and practice skills of health professionals and those
working with diverse populations to achieve a greater understanding of
the relationship between culture and health and gender and health.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) For the purposes of this section, "multicultural health" means
the provision of health care services with the knowledge and awareness
of the causes and effects of the determinants of health that lead to
disparities in health status between different genders and racial and
ethnic populations and the practice skills necessary to respond
appropriately.
(2) The department, in consultation with the disciplining
authorities as defined in RCW 18.130.040, shall establish, within
available department general funds, an ongoing multicultural health
awareness and education program as an integral part of its health
professions regulation. The purpose of the education program is to
raise awareness and educate health care professionals regarding the
knowledge, attitudes, and practice skills necessary to care for diverse
populations to achieve a greater understanding of the relationship
between culture and health. The disciplining authorities having the
authority to offer continuing education may provide training in the
dynamics of providing culturally competent, multicultural health care
to diverse populations. Any such education shall be developed in
collaboration with education programs that train students in that
health profession. A disciplining authority may require that
instructors of continuing education or continuing competency programs
integrate multicultural health into their curricula when it is
appropriate to the subject matter of the instruction. No funds from
the health professions account may be utilized to fund activities under
this section unless the disciplining authority authorizes expenditures
from its proportions of the account. A disciplining authority may
defray costs by authorizing a fee to be charged for participants or
materials relating to any sponsored program.
(3) By July 1, 2008, each education program with a curriculum to
train health professionals for employment in a profession credentialed
by a disciplining authority under chapter 18.130 RCW shall integrate
into the curriculum instruction in multicultural health as part of its
basic education preparation curriculum. The department may not deny
the application of any applicant for a credential to practice a health
profession on the basis that the education or training program that the
applicant successfully completed did not include integrated
multicultural health curriculum as part of its basic instruction.