PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE
Problem: Professional licensure protects the general
public from unethical and unqualified practitioners. Licensure programs
ensure that certain minimum standards are maintained in professional
practice.
Existing Services: The Professional Licensure program
licenses speech-language pathologists, audiologists, dietitians, hearing
aid dealers, occupational therapists and assistants, physical therapists
and assistants, respiratory care practitioners, and athletic trainers. The
program certifies eye nucleators and registers audiology aides, apprentice
athletic trainers, speech-language pathology aides, radiation
technologists, tattoo artists, and tattoo parlors. Staff process
more than 8,000 license applications each year, investigate all complaints
related to the disciplines licensed, and provide public information
seminars to schools and professional organizations as requested.
To inspect all tattoo facilities in the district
FY 1998 Objectives:
To continue to develop, refine, and implement policies/procedures for
administering the professional licensure programs.
To continue developing programs and procedures to meet the unique needs
of impaired professionals.
To refine established reporting procedures to notify the national data
bank and various state and national professional organizations regarding
disciplinary action taken against an individual's license.
To continue to refine procedures for receiving and investigating
complaints against licensees.
To continue review of enabling statutes regarding disciplines licensed
by the branch with the appropriate advisory council and in accordance with
the Administrative Practices Act, and make recommendations to the Board of
Health for legislative amendments to be pursued during the 1998
legislative session.
To continue to review and refine regulations governing the licensure of
the various disciplines regulated by the branch and make recommendations
to the Board of Health for appropriate amendments.
To continue to upgrade and refine the written guidelines and procedures
for continuing education requirements in all existing professional
licensure programs.
To continue to develop working relationships with national professional
organizations regarding the implementation of uniform testing requirements
for the licensing programs requiring such testing.
To continue developing efficient computer use to establish a quality
electronic database to produce detailed reports on the licensure programs
and maintain detailed files on licensees and applicants.
To enhance computer capability to include a local area network (LAN)
and wide area network (WAN).
To become part of a computer communications network with other state
licensing authorities and organizations involved in monitoring licensing
related activities.
To continue to train all staff in proper methods of investigating
complaints and making complaint reports.
To continue to train all staff in the proper use of PCs to maintain
records and produce meaningful statistical reports on the licensure
program.
To continue to develop more efficient methods of communicating with
individuals licensed by the branch and with the public regarding the
purposes of the licensing program and enforcement of regulations.
To continue establishing reciprocity agreements with other states as
required.
To establish in-house printing of license certificates for all
disciplines.
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2000 Regular Session
To: Public Health and Welfare
By: Representative Green
House Bill 309
AN ACT TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH TO ADOPT REGULATIONS THAT
PRESCRIBE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE
TRANSMISSION OF BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS THROUGH NEEDLES; TO REQUIRE THE
STANDARDS TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPROPRIATE USE OF SHARPS INJURY PREVENTION
TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING NEEDLELESS SYSTEMS AND NEEDLES WITH ENGINEERED
SHARPS INJURY PROTECTION; TO REQUIRE THE BOARD TO DETERMINE THOSE
ENVIRONMENTS WHERE STANDARDS REQUIRE SHARPS INJURY PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY
TO BE USED; TO PROVIDE THAT SHARPS INJURY PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY SHALL BE
USED BY ALL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS; TO PROVIDE THAT SHARPS INJURY
PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY WILL NOT BE REQUIRED WHEREVER THE BOARD DEMONSTRATES
THAT SUCH TECHNOLOGY IS MEDICALLY CONTRAINDICATED OR IS NOT MORE EFFECTIVE
THAN ALTERNATIVE MEASURES; TO PROVIDE THAT EMPLOYERS MUST ADOPT WRITTEN
EXPOSURE CONTROL PLANS, WHICH SHALL BE REVISED PERIODICALLY TO REFLECT
IMPROVEMENTS IN SHARPS INJURY PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY; AND FOR RELATED
PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) The State Board of Health shall adopt regulations
that prescribe occupational safety and health standards designed to reduce
the transmission of bloodborne pathogens through needles. The standards
shall provide for the appropriate use of sharps injury prevention
technology, including needleless systems and needles with engineered
sharps injury protection.
(2) The board shall determine those environments where standards
require sharps injury prevention technology to be used. Sharps injury
prevention technology shall be used by all health care providers. However,
sharps injury prevention technology shall not be required wherever the
board demonstrates that such technology is medically contraindicated or is
not more effective than alternative measures used by an employer to
prevent exposure incidents.
(3) The standards adopted by the board shall require employers to adopt
written exposure control plans. Written exposure control plans shall be
revised periodically to reflect improvements in sharps injury prevention
technology. Written exposure control plans shall include the type and
brand of device used in an incident of exposure.
(4) The board shall compile and maintain a list of existing needleless
systems and needles with engineered sharps injury protection, which shall
be available to assist employers in complying with the requirements of the
bloodborne pathogen standards adopted under this section. The list may be
developed from existing sources of information, including, but not limited
to, information from the federal Food and Drug Administration, the federal
Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
(5) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have
the following meanings:
(a) "Employer" means a person engaged in a business who has
one or more employees, and includes state, county and municipal
governments;
(b) "Employee" means any person performing services for
another under a contract of hire, including minors, whether lawfully or
unlawfully employed, persons in executive positions, and includes state,
county and municipal government employees;
(c) "Person" means one or more individuals, partnerships,
associations, corporations, business trusts, legal representatives or any
organized group of persons;
(d) "Standard" means an occupational safety and health
standard promulgated by the State Board of Health that requires conditions
or the adoption or the use of one or more practices, means, methods,
operations or processes reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide
safe and healthful employment and places of employment.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after
July 1, 2000.
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