71st OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2001 Regular Session
Enrolled
Senate Bill 786
Sponsored by Senator GORDLY
CHAPTER ................
AN ACT
Relating to cultural diversity in regulated health professions.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. { + (1) It is the intention of the Legislative
Assembly to achieve the goal of universal access to adequate
levels of high quality health care at an affordable cost for all
Oregonians, regardless of ethnic or cultural background.
(2) The Legislative Assembly finds that:
(a) Access to health care is of value when it leads to
treatment that substantially improves health outcomes;
(b) Health care is most effective when it accounts for the
contribution of culture to health status and health outcomes;
(c) Ethnic and racial minorities experience more than their
statistically fair share of undesirable health outcomes;
(d) The lack of licensed health care professionals from ethnic
and racial minorities or who are bilingual contributes to the
inadequacy of health outcomes in communities of color in this
state; and
(e) The development of a partnership between health
professional regulatory boards and communities of color to
increase the representation of people of color and bilingual
people in health care professions has significant potential to
improve the health outcomes of people of color and bilingual
citizens of this state.
(3) Health professional regulatory boards shall establish
programs to increase the representation of people of color and
bilingual people on the boards and in the professions that they
regulate. Such programs must include activities to promote the
education, recruitment and professional practice of members of
these targeted populations in Oregon.
(4) Each health professional regulatory board shall maintain
records of the racial and ethnic makeup of applicants and
professionals regulated by the board. Such information shall be
requested from applicants and the professionals regulated who
shall be informed in writing that the provision of such
information is voluntary and not required.
(5) Each health professional regulatory board shall report
biennially to the Legislative Assembly in the manner required by
ORS 192.245. The report shall contain:
(a) Data detailing the efforts of the board to comply with the
requirements of subsection (3) of this section; and
Enrolled Senate Bill 786 (SB 786-INTRO) Page 1
(b) Data collected under subsection (4) of this section
documenting the ethnic and racial makeup of the applicants and of
the professionals regulated by the board.
(6) For purposes of this section, 'health professional
regulatory board' has the meaning given that term in ORS
676.160. + }
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Passed by Senate May 4, 2001
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Secretary of Senate
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President of Senate
Passed by House May 31, 2001
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Speaker of House
Enrolled Senate Bill 786 (SB 786-INTRO) Page 2
Received by Governor:
......M.,............., 2001
Approved:
......M.,............., 2001
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Governor
Filed in Office of Secretary of State:
......M.,............., 2001
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Secretary of State
Enrolled Senate Bill 786 (SB 786-INTRO) Page 3