SF 214 (LSB 1584XS (4) 87)

SENATE FILE 214

BY  RAGAN

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to a coordinated health care workforce recruitment and retention effort.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION —— COORDINATED EFFORT.
   1.  The department of public health shall lead a coordinated effort to address recruitment and retention of direct care professionals and other health care professionals, including but not limited to nursing, mental health, and oral health professionals, necessary to meet the current and future demand for critical health care services and long-term services and supports in the state.
   2.  In partnership with key public and private stakeholders including but not limited to representatives of employers and direct care professionals from various settings, consumers, family caregivers, advocates, community colleges, labor, the Iowa caregivers, united way, the Olmstead consumer task force, and the departments of education and human services, the department on aging, the office of the long-term care ombudsman, and other stakeholders, and in alignment with recommendations of the older Iowans legislature, the elevate aging collaborative, the future ready Iowa initiative, the Iowa skills2compete coalition, the 2016 direct care workforce summit and the direct care workforce 2020 regional listening sessions, and of other appropriate entities, the department shall do all of the following:
   a.  Expand existing recruitment and retention efforts of the direct care workforce initiative including competency-based training and specialty endorsements in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, mental health, oral health, and other areas; and provide the needed infrastructure, policies, procedures, and repository to support accurate recordkeeping and portability of training credentials and certifications for direct care professionals.
   b.  Lead a multistakeholder and interagency initiative to inform policy making and to identify and implement strategies to do all of the following:
   (1)  Increase compensation and provide benefits for those who work in the direct care sector and other health professions that may include individual tax credits, minimum wage increases, and increased provider reimbursements.
   (2)  Conduct data analysis specific to various aspects of the direct care workforce and other health care professions including worker turnover and best practices.
   (3)  Provide forgivable loans and scholarships for high-demand health care sectors and place a high priority on strategies to attract new and more diverse populations to the health care field as well as retain older workers and individuals with disabilities in the field for a longer period.
   c.  Retain existing successful workforce initiatives and allocate unused portions of funds to health and long-term services and support initiatives to more fully support existing direct care professional initiatives and other health care professional recruitment and retention efforts.
   3.  The department of public health shall provide a progress report to the governor and the general assembly by January 1, 2018, and annually by January 1, thereafter, including recommendations for changes in law or funding to support the coordinated effort.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to health workforce recruitment and retention. The bill directs the department of public health (DPH) to lead a coordinated effort to address recruitment and retention of direct care professionals and other health care professionals, including but not limited to nursing, mental health, and oral health professionals, necessary to meet the current and future demand for critical health care services and long-term services and supports in the state. 
   The bill directs DPH, in partnership with key public and private stakeholders and in alignment with recommendations of various task forces, workgroups, and coalitions to: (1) expand existing recruitment and retention efforts for direct care professionals and provide the needed infrastructure, policies, procedures, and repository to support accurate recordkeeping and portability of training credentials and certifications for direct care professionals; (2) lead a multistakeholder and interagency initiative to inform policy and to identify and implement strategies to increase compensation and provide benefits for those who work in the direct care sector and other health professions, conduct data analysis specific to various aspects of the direct care workforce and other health care professions including worker turnover and best practices; and provide forgivable loans and scholarships for high-demand health care sectors and place a high priority on strategies to attract new and more diverse populations to the health care field as well as retain older workers and individuals with disabilities in the field for a longer period; and (3) retain existing successful workforce initiatives and allocate unused portions of funds to health and long-term services and support initiatives to more fully support existing direct care professional initiatives and other health care professional recruitment and retention efforts.
   The bill directs DPH to provide a progress report to the governor and the general assembly by January 1, 2018, and annually by January 1, thereafter, including recommendations for changes in law or funding to support the coordinated effort.