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Senate Study Bill 1071 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to a coordinated health care workforce
2recruitment and retention effort.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION —
2COORDINATED EFFORT.
31. The department of public health shall lead a coordinated
4effort to address recruitment and retention of direct care
5professionals and other health care professionals, including
6but not limited to nursing, mental health, and oral health
7professionals, necessary to meet the current and future demand
8for critical health care services and long-term services and
9supports in the state.
102. In partnership with key public and private stakeholders
11including but not limited to representatives of employers and
12direct care professionals from various settings, consumers,
13family caregivers, advocates, community colleges, labor,
14the Iowa caregivers, united way, the Olmstead consumer task
15force, and the departments of education and human services,
16the department on aging, the office of the long-term care
17ombudsman, and other stakeholders, and in alignment with
18recommendations of the older Iowans legislature, the elevate
19aging collaborative, the future ready Iowa initiative, the Iowa
20skills2compete coalition, the 2016 direct care workforce summit
21and the direct care workforce 2020 regional listening sessions,
22and of other appropriate entities, the department shall do all
23of the following:
24a. Expand existing recruitment and retention efforts of the
25direct care workforce initiative including competency-based
26training and specialty endorsements in Alzheimer’s disease and
27dementia, mental health, oral health, and other areas; and
28provide the needed infrastructure, policies, procedures, and
29repository to support accurate recordkeeping and portability
30of training credentials and certifications for direct care
31professionals.
32b. Lead a multistakeholder and interagency initiative to
33inform policy making and to identify and implement strategies
34to do all of the following:
35(1) Increase compensation and provide benefits for
-1-1those who work in the direct care sector and other health
2professions that may include individual tax credits, minimum
3wage increases, and increased provider reimbursements.
4(2) Conduct data analysis specific to various aspects of
5the direct care workforce and other health care professions
6including worker turnover and best practices.
7(3) Provide forgivable loans and scholarships for
8high-demand health care sectors and place a high priority on
9strategies to attract new and more diverse populations to
10the health care field as well as retain older workers and
11individuals with disabilities in the field for a longer period.
12c. Retain existing successful workforce initiatives and
13allocate unused portions of funds to health and long-term
14services and support initiatives to more fully support existing
15direct care professional initiatives and other health care
16professional recruitment and retention efforts.
173. The department of public health shall provide a progress
18report to the governor and the general assembly by January
191, 2018, and annually by January 1, thereafter, including
20recommendations for changes in law or funding to support the
21coordinated effort.
22EXPLANATION
23The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
24the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
25This bill relates to health workforce recruitment and
26retention. The bill directs the department of public health
27(DPH) to lead a coordinated effort to address recruitment and
28retention of direct care professionals and other health care
29professionals, including but not limited to nursing, mental
30health, and oral health professionals, necessary to meet the
31current and future demand for critical health care services and
32long-term services and supports in the state.
33The bill directs DPH, in partnership with key public and
34private stakeholders and in alignment with recommendations of
35various task forces, workgroups, and coalitions to: (1) expand
-2-1existing recruitment and retention efforts for direct care
2professionals and provide the needed infrastructure, policies,
3procedures, and repository to support accurate recordkeeping
4and portability of training credentials and certifications
5for direct care professionals; (2) lead a multistakeholder
6and interagency initiative to inform policy and to identify
7and implement strategies to increase compensation and provide
8benefits for those who work in the direct care sector and
9other health professions, conduct data analysis specific to
10various aspects of the direct care workforce and other health
11care professions including worker turnover and best practices;
12and provide forgivable loans and scholarships for high-demand
13health care sectors and place a high priority on strategies
14to attract new and more diverse populations to the health
15care field as well as retain older workers and individuals
16with disabilities in the field for a longer period; and (3)
17retain existing successful workforce initiatives and allocate
18unused portions of funds to health and long-term services and
19support initiatives to more fully support existing direct care
20professional initiatives and other health care professional
21recruitment and retention efforts.
22The bill directs DPH to provide a progress report to the
23governor and the general assembly by January 1, 2018, and
24annually by January 1, thereafter, including recommendations
25for changes in law or funding to support the coordinated
26effort.
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2recruitment and retention effort.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION —
2COORDINATED EFFORT.
31. The department of public health shall lead a coordinated
4effort to address recruitment and retention of direct care
5professionals and other health care professionals, including
6but not limited to nursing, mental health, and oral health
7professionals, necessary to meet the current and future demand
8for critical health care services and long-term services and
9supports in the state.
102. In partnership with key public and private stakeholders
11including but not limited to representatives of employers and
12direct care professionals from various settings, consumers,
13family caregivers, advocates, community colleges, labor,
14the Iowa caregivers, united way, the Olmstead consumer task
15force, and the departments of education and human services,
16the department on aging, the office of the long-term care
17ombudsman, and other stakeholders, and in alignment with
18recommendations of the older Iowans legislature, the elevate
19aging collaborative, the future ready Iowa initiative, the Iowa
20skills2compete coalition, the 2016 direct care workforce summit
21and the direct care workforce 2020 regional listening sessions,
22and of other appropriate entities, the department shall do all
23of the following:
24a. Expand existing recruitment and retention efforts of the
25direct care workforce initiative including competency-based
26training and specialty endorsements in Alzheimer’s disease and
27dementia, mental health, oral health, and other areas; and
28provide the needed infrastructure, policies, procedures, and
29repository to support accurate recordkeeping and portability
30of training credentials and certifications for direct care
31professionals.
32b. Lead a multistakeholder and interagency initiative to
33inform policy making and to identify and implement strategies
34to do all of the following:
35(1) Increase compensation and provide benefits for
-1-1those who work in the direct care sector and other health
2professions that may include individual tax credits, minimum
3wage increases, and increased provider reimbursements.
4(2) Conduct data analysis specific to various aspects of
5the direct care workforce and other health care professions
6including worker turnover and best practices.
7(3) Provide forgivable loans and scholarships for
8high-demand health care sectors and place a high priority on
9strategies to attract new and more diverse populations to
10the health care field as well as retain older workers and
11individuals with disabilities in the field for a longer period.
12c. Retain existing successful workforce initiatives and
13allocate unused portions of funds to health and long-term
14services and support initiatives to more fully support existing
15direct care professional initiatives and other health care
16professional recruitment and retention efforts.
173. The department of public health shall provide a progress
18report to the governor and the general assembly by January
191, 2018, and annually by January 1, thereafter, including
20recommendations for changes in law or funding to support the
21coordinated effort.
22EXPLANATION
23The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
24the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
25This bill relates to health workforce recruitment and
26retention. The bill directs the department of public health
27(DPH) to lead a coordinated effort to address recruitment and
28retention of direct care professionals and other health care
29professionals, including but not limited to nursing, mental
30health, and oral health professionals, necessary to meet the
31current and future demand for critical health care services and
32long-term services and supports in the state.
33The bill directs DPH, in partnership with key public and
34private stakeholders and in alignment with recommendations of
35various task forces, workgroups, and coalitions to: (1) expand
-2-1existing recruitment and retention efforts for direct care
2professionals and provide the needed infrastructure, policies,
3procedures, and repository to support accurate recordkeeping
4and portability of training credentials and certifications
5for direct care professionals; (2) lead a multistakeholder
6and interagency initiative to inform policy and to identify
7and implement strategies to increase compensation and provide
8benefits for those who work in the direct care sector and
9other health professions, conduct data analysis specific to
10various aspects of the direct care workforce and other health
11care professions including worker turnover and best practices;
12and provide forgivable loans and scholarships for high-demand
13health care sectors and place a high priority on strategies
14to attract new and more diverse populations to the health
15care field as well as retain older workers and individuals
16with disabilities in the field for a longer period; and (3)
17retain existing successful workforce initiatives and allocate
18unused portions of funds to health and long-term services and
19support initiatives to more fully support existing direct care
20professional initiatives and other health care professional
21recruitment and retention efforts.
22The bill directs DPH to provide a progress report to the
23governor and the general assembly by January 1, 2018, and
24annually by January 1, thereafter, including recommendations
25for changes in law or funding to support the coordinated
26effort.
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