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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	January 9, 2013 02:40 PM
From:	Representative Sheryl M. Delozier
To:	All House members
Subject:	Legislation that provides for a “Volunteer Health Practitioner Registry” – Former HB 2120 (2011-2012)

In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation amending Title 35 (Health and Safety), and Title 42, (Judicial Procedure) by creating a “Volunteer Health Practitioner Registry System” for the Commonwealth during state declared emergencies. There is a lack of uniformity in state laws when it comes to responding to horrific disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Doctors, nurses, EMTs, mental health professionals, veterinarians, coroners and other health professionals providing needed individual and public health services from outside the affected Gulf Coast and northeast states who volunteered to provide desperately needed assistance to disaster victims were seriously delayed and in some cases prevented from providing services, because they were unable to quickly and clearly obtain authorization to practice within the affected states. The objective of my legislation is to fill in the gaps so that in future years when disasters strike, health practitioners and other similarly licensed professionals will be able to be quickly deployed to health care facilities and disaster relief organizations pursuant to clear and well-understood rules that will both meet the needs of volunteers and relief agencies and provide an effective framework to ensure the delivery of high quality care to disaster victims. My legislation will further provide a system for these professionals to register either in advance of or during an emergency. Volunteer health practitioners will be afforded liability and workers’ compensation protections which are provided for in Title 35. These health practitioners must be licensed in in good standing in their practice. The House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held a series of public hearings across the Commonwealth regarding the updating and rewrite of Title 35. This particular piece of legislation and its concept was discussed at these hearings and received support from the members of the committee, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association and well as other interested parties. Former HB 2120 cosponsors: DELOZIER, MAJOR , READSHAW , AUMENT, BOYD , CALTAGIRONE , D. COSTA, CUTLER , DALEY , DENLINGER , EVERETT , GILLESPIE , GINGRICH , GRELL , KORTZ , MAHONEY , MILNE , MYERS , QUINN , RAPP , SCAVELLO , THOMAS , VULAKOVICH , YOUNGBLOOD , CULVER, BRADFORD and DAVIS

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