Public health, explained: Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free Atlanta newsletter here.
A bill that would create a new system for nurses and counselors facing addiction problems to get help – and possibly keep more of them working – gained final approval from the state legislature this week.
A separate measure that would create a pathway for internationally trained doctors to become licensed in Georgia is also close to the finish line after the House approved it this week. Georgia faces a growing shortage of doctors and nurses over the coming years.
If current trends continue, Georgia will fall short of its projected registered nurse need by 23,000, meaning 1 in 5 positions will be unfilled by 2036. The picture is even worse for doctors: The state will only have about two-thirds of the doctors it needs in a decade, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.
The bill on nurses would create an “alternative to discipline” program for those struggling with substance use. It gained final approval from the state Senate last week and now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.
Under the current system, nurses who seek help for addiction must undergo a lengthy and public disciplinary process with the state licensing board. Some nurses say that hurdle deterred them from seeking help.
This bill creates an alternative pathway, where nurses can get help privately and without having their licenses suspended. It will be similar to the system used in Georgia for doctors, physician assistants, and pharmacists. It also allows the licensing board for professional counselors, social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists to establish a parallel system for them.
The new system still includes an element of supervision and accountability to ensure professionals are getting help and working safely but is less public than the current disciplinary process. The goal is to keep more health care workers in the workforce and allow them to seek help earlier.
Nurses, counselors, and social workers will have to pay for the costs of treatment and monitoring. The respective licensing boards will have to set up the programs, likely by contracting with an outside company to provide the monitoring services.
The bill, sponsored by Republicans Rep. Ron Stephens, a Savannah pharmacist, and Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, a Rome anesthetist, sailed through the House and the Senate this year, with only one “no” vote in the Senate, from Republican Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas.
Once the system is established, Georgia will join 44 other states that have similar programs, according to the National Council of State Nursing Boards.
Bill on internationally trained doctors nears finish line
Separately, a bill that would allow doctors who were trained abroad to practice in Georgia under limited licenses gained approval from the Senate this week. Its supporters hope the measure will increase the number of doctors practicing, especially in underserved areas.
“This is not an effort to make it easier,” said Rep. Mark Newton, an Augusta Republican who is an emergency room doctor. “It’s rather an attempt to recognize that there are similar areas of training and expertise around the world, and many of those are eligible to work in the United States, and we want to make sure there’s a way we can do that.”
The bill sailed through the Senate and the House with only a few “no” votes in each chamber.
Its backers have been pushing for the bill for several years. Last year it was sponsored by Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat, but failed to cross the finish line by the time session ended. This year, powerful Republican Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah doctor, took up sponsorship of the bill, and Newton sponsored it in the House. The bill now heads back to the Senate for a final vote following minor changes to the measure in the House.
To qualify for the program, the doctors must have practiced for at least five years – and in some cases 10 – after training at a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. They must also be legally residing in the United States with authorization to work and pass a major medical exam, typically all three parts of the U. S. Medical Licensing Examination or an equivalent, and an English proficiency exam.
If a doctor has met all those requirements and has an offer of employment under a supervising physician in a rural county, or at a hospital or medical school, he or she could obtain a limited provisional license.
The doctor must then practice for four years under a supervising physician in a rural practice, a federally qualified health center for un- and under-insured people, or a medical school or hospital before he or she can apply for a full license. After obtaining the full license, the doctor must continue to practice for two more years in an underserved area.
“Over in the Augusta area, where we’re training the future doctors in Georgia at the state’s medical college, a large part of our medical community … is immigrants from all over the world, and they have been a priceless addition to providing specialty medical care and across all the specialties,” Newton said.
Advocates say the program could help increase the supply of doctors in general and especially those who can connect with the state’s increasingly diverse population.
Other health bills on the move
- A bill to extend a cellphone ban in Georgia schools to the high school grades gained the approval of a Senate committee this week. If enacted, it would take effect in 2027-28. It has been approved in the House and now needs a Senate floor vote.
- A bill that would allow county health workers to retain the same level of accrued leave if they begin working for the state gained Senate approval on Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.
Rebecca Grapevine is a reporter covering public health in Atlanta for Healthbeat. Contact Rebecca at rgrapevine@healthbeat.org.
