26A-1-126 - Medical reserve corps.
26A-1-126. Medical reserve corps.
(1) In addition to the duties listed in Section 26A-1-114, a local health department mayestablish a medical reserve corps in accordance with this section.
(2) The purpose of a medical reserve corps is to enable a local health authority to respondwith appropriate health care professionals to a national, state, or local emergency, a public healthemergency as defined in Section 26-23b-102, or a declaration by the president of the UnitedStates or other federal official requesting public health related activities.
(3) When an emergency has been declared in accordance with Subsection (2), a localhealth department may activate a medical reserve corps for the duration of the emergency.
(4) For purposes of this section, a medical reserve corps may include persons who:
(a) are licensed under Title 58, Occupations and Professions, and who are operatingwithin the scope of their practice;
(b) are exempt from licensure, or operating under modified scope of practice provisionsin accordance with Subsections 58-1-307(4) and (5); and
(c) within the 10 years preceding the declared emergency, held a valid license, in goodstanding in Utah, for one of the occupations described in Subsection 58-13-2(1), but the licenseis not currently active.
(5) (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections 58-1-307(4)(a) and (5)(b) the localhealth department may authorize a person described in Subsection (4) to operate in a modifiedscope of practice as necessary to respond to the declared emergency.
(b) A person operating as a member of an activated medical reserve corps under thissection:
(i) must be volunteering for and supervised by the local health department;
(ii) must comply with the provisions of this section;
(iii) is exempt from the licensing laws of Title 58, Occupations and Professions; and
(iv) must carry a certificate issued by the local health department which designates theindividual as a member of the medical reserve corps during the duration of the emergency.
(6) The local department of health may access the Division of Occupational andProfessional Licensing database for the purpose of determining if a person's current or expiredlicense to practice in the state was in good standing.
(7) The local department of health shall maintain a registry of persons who are membersof a medical reserve corps. The registry of the medical reserve corps shall be made available tothe public and to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
Enacted by Chapter 153, 2005 General Session