Senate Approves Temporary, Emergency Medical Licenses
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The state Senate today approved a law that would establish temporary licenses for out-of-state health care workers during an emergency in Rhode Island.
“I hope Rhode Island never faces such a significant public health emergency that we need to employ this provision,” said its sponsor, Sen. John Tassoni, Jr., a Democrat representing Smithfield and North Smithfield.
“But clearly it is better to be safe than sorry, and we want to make sure there are enough health care providers available to help our citizens if the need arises, perhaps as the result of a major flu epidemic, or a devastating hurricane or the like,” Tassoni said.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe bill would authorize the Department of Health director to issue the licenses, which would be valid up to 90 days. The out-of-state workers must be sponsored by a licensed health care provider or agency in Rhode Island.
