Sec. 4-124dd. Connecticut Allied Health Workforce Policy Board. Establishment, duties and membership.
Sec. 4-124dd. Connecticut Allied Health Workforce Policy Board. Establishment, duties and membership. (a) There is established a Connecticut Allied Health
Workforce Policy Board which shall act in coordination with the Connecticut Career
Ladder Advisory Committee established pursuant to section 4-124bb to: (1) Monitor
data and trends in the allied health workforce, including, but not limited to, (A) the
state's current and future supply and demand for allied health professionals, and (B) the
current and future capacity of the state system of higher education to educate and train
students pursuing allied health professions; (2) develop recommendations for the formation and promotion of an economic cluster, as defined in section 32-4e, for allied health
professions; (3) identify recruitment and retention strategies for public and independent
institutions of higher education with allied health programs; (4) develop recommendations for promoting diversity in the allied health workforce, including, but not limited
to, racial, ethnic and gender diversity and for enhancing the attractiveness of allied health
professions; (5) develop recommendations regarding financial and other assistance to
students enrolled in or considering enrolling in allied health programs offered at public
or independent institutions of higher education; (6) identify recruitment and retention
strategies for allied health employers; (7) develop recommendations about recruiting
and utilizing retired nursing faculty members to teach or train students to become licensed practical nurses or registered nurses; and (8) examine nursing programs at public
and independent institutions of higher education and develop recommendations about
the possibility of streamlining the curricula offered in such programs to facilitate timely
program completion. For purposes of this section, "allied health workforce" and "allied
health professionals" means professionals or paraprofessionals who are qualified by
special training, education, skills and experience in providing health care, treatment
and diagnostic services, under the supervision of or in collaboration with a licensed
practitioner, and includes, but is not limited to, physician assistants, registered nurses,
licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, home health aides, radiological technologists and technicians, medical therapists and other qualified technologists and technicians.
(b) The board shall consist of the following members:
(1) A member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
(2) A member appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
(3) A member appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;
(4) A member appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
(5) The Commissioners of Public Health, Education and Higher Education, or their
designees;
(6) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and higher
education and employment advancement, or their designees;
(7) A representative of the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, established under section 20-88, who shall be appointed by said board; and
(8) A representative of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, who
shall be appointed by said conference.
(c) Any member appointed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall be a
recognized expert in the field of allied health, finance, economics or health facility
management. All appointments to the board shall be made no later than thirty days after
October 1, 2004. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. The term of
each appointed member of the board shall be three years from the date of appointment.
The board shall select a chairperson from among its members. Members of the board
shall serve without compensation but shall, within available appropriations, be reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties. The board
shall convene its first meeting not later than sixty days after October 1, 2004.
(d) Not later than January 1, 2006, and annually thereafter, the board shall submit
a report on its findings and recommendations, including recommendations for legislation to address allied health workforce shortages in this state, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health
and higher education and employment advancement, in accordance with the provisions
of section 11-4a.
(P.A. 04-220, S. 1.)