ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers are proposing a new program to monitor and help rehabilitate healthcare professionals with impairments.
More specifically, House Bill 219 would create a program to help rehabilitate nurses, doctors and other medical professionals who are impaired by illness or the use of alcohol, drugs, narcotics, chemicals or other materials, as well as impairments caused by mental illness or physical conditions.
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The programs would be used to monitor and assist professionals to maintain their fitness to practice healthcare work or to resume or continue practicing their professions while maintaining public safety.
For health professionals who participate in the programs, if approved by the Georgia General Assembly, rehabilitation costs are their own responsibility.
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Organizations and businesses that participate in the programs would also be immune from liability for any incurred or imposed functions and duties performed under contract.
Records about the participants, including interviews, reports, monitoring results and recommendations, would be confidential and unavailable for court subpoenas or discovery proceedings, as well as open record requests.
The confidential records would be able to be provided to the Georgia Board of Nursing, for the purpose of the monitoring and rehabilitation program.
The Georgia Board of Nursing would also be able to conduct programs to monitor and rehabilitate state health workers, through contracts with treatment organizations.
If the bill is passed by state lawmakers, the Georgia Board of Nursing would be allowed to accept or solicit private funding, public grants, in-kind gifts and other funding donations to assist program participants.
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