HB 1585 (2024)
Create new position of Certified Assisted Living Medication Aide, add to student loan relief for nurses
Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in consultation with the board of nursing, to adopt rules governing the administration of medication by direct care staff in residential care facilities.
The House rewrote the bill. The new bill creates a new category of healthcare worker called a Certified Assisted Living Medication Aide (CALMA). According to the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, "Current law does not allow residential care workers to assist residents with their medication. Healthcare facilities such as nursing homes or assisted care facilities may utilize healthcare workers as licensed nursing aids who have been certified by the nursing board to administer medications to patients. Residential care facilities do not usually employ licensed nursing aids, creating a void that this bill will address."
The Senate amended the bill to add the text of SB 456. That bill sends $300,000 to the Office of Rural Health for the state loan repayment program to qualified nursing professionals.
