Revision: Jan. 6, 2023, 2:46 p.m.
2023 SESSION
23-1000.0
05/04
SENATE BILL [bill number]
AN ACT relative to health care workforce development and making appropriations therefor.
SPONSORS: [sponsors]
COMMITTEE: [committee]
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a health care workforce development and certification program in the department of health and human services and makes appropriations to the department for implementation of the program.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-1000.0
05/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to health care workforce development and making appropriations therefor.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Short Title. This act shall be known as the "21st Century Health Care Workforce Development Act".
2 Purpose and Findings. The general court finds that:
I. New Hampshire’s health care workforce is the foundation of our health care safety net, but the foundation is in crisis due to a lack of consistent investments prior to the pandemic while the COVID-19 pandemic compounded these structural deficits. As a result, residents of New Hampshire risk going without care until the cracks in the foundation are repaired. Recently, the state has worked to stabilize the system using federal funds including direct aid to hospitals, community providers, and long-term care facilities; however, there remains a strong need to invest in programs to foster a future health care workforce within the granite state.
II. The state of New Hampshire shall address the health care workforce shortage through programs designed to incentivize students to seek employment in health care and remain in New Hampshire upon graduation, remove career-advancement barriers for our dedicated direct care providers, and equip health care organizations with the tools necessary to secure skilled clinicians.
3 New Subdivision; Community Health Worker Development and Certification Program. Amend RSA 126-A by inserting after section 98 the following new section:
Community Health Worker Programs
126-A:99 Community Health Worker Development and Certification Program. There is established in the department of health and human services a community health worker development and certification program.
I. The department of health and human services, division of public health services, rural health and primary care section shall, within 90 days of the effective date of this section, issue a request for proposals to contract with an organization to increase the number of entry-level clinical staff through investments in programs designed to improve care and access to care, particularly in rural and underserved areas of this state, and to enhance the health and public health workforce in New Hampshire. Such programs may include engaging under-represented populations in the health care professions in middle school and high school, offering health professions students opportunities to experience learning in rural or medically underserved regions of New Hampshire designed to encourage participants to settle and work in these regions, and enriching the standard health curriculum by providing health professions students training in aspects of health care such as integration of behavioral health and primary care, social determinants of health, cultural competency, interprofessional team-based care, and addressing the challenges associated with substance use disorder.
II. The department of health and human services, division of public health services, rural health and primary care section shall contract with organizations located within the state for the purpose of creating and expanding community-based advanced training which shall include, but is not limited to, nurse practitioner fellowship programs, formal mentoring and precepting programs, and training in community-based ambulatory care settings such as community health centers. Each program shall be accredited or eligible for accreditation by a nationally-recognized accreditation agency and officially affiliated with a postsecondary educational institution.
III. The department of health and human services, division of public health services, maternal and child health section shall contract with community-based organizations including community health centers and family resource centers to connect individuals and families to proper supports to manage health care and the social determinants of health that impact quality of life outcomes through the deployment of community health workers.
126-A:100 Rulemaking. The commissioner shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to implementation and administration of the community worker development and certification program. The rules shall address health care worker certification requirements and procedures, including identification of community health worker positions for which certification is mandatory and positions for which certification is voluntary.
4 Appropriations; Department of Health and Human Services; Rural Health and Primary Care Section.
I. Area Health Education Centers. The sum of $9,650,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2025 is hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services, division of public health services, rural health and primary care section for the purpose set forth in section 3 of this act. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
II. Primary Care Workforce Program. The sum of $120,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 and the sum of $120,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 are hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services, division of public health services, rural health and primary care section, for the purpose of funding one of the positions established in paragraph I of section 3 of this act. The commissioner of the department of health and human services may use up to $20,000 of the appropriation in each fiscal year towards the upgrade of an existing position in the rural health and primary care section. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
III. Advanced Training Program. The sum of $2,000,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2024 is hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services, division of public health services, rural health and primary care section for the purposes established in paragraph II of section 3 of this act. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
IV. Certification of Community Health Workers. The sum of $500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 is appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purpose of establishing a community health worker certification program. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
V. Deployment of Community Health Workers. The sum of $1,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 and the sum of $1,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 20, 2025 are hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services, division of public health services, maternal and child health section, for the purpose of funding community health workers at community health centers and other safety-net organizations to connect with individuals and families to ensure they have the proper supports to manage their health and the social determinants of health that impact quality of life. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.