Culturally Relevant Training Health Professionals

The act requires the office of health equity (office) in the department of public health and environment to:

• On or before January 1, 2023, create a culturally relevant and affirming health-care training grant program (program) to provide money to nonprofit entities and statewide associations of health-care providers to develop new, culturally responsive training programs for priority populations; and
• Contract with a third-party administrator to administer the program.

"Priority populations" is defined as people experiencing homelessness; people involved with the criminal justice system; black people, indigenous people, and people of color; American Indians and Alaska natives; veterans; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning; people of disproportionately affected sexual orientations and gender identities; people who have AIDS or HIV; older adults; children and families; and people with disabilities, including people who are deaf and hard of hearing, people who are blind and deafblind, people with brain injuries, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with other co-occurring disabilities; and other populations as deemed appropriate by the office of behavioral health.

The third-party administrator is required to:

• Issue a grant application for nonprofit entities and statewide associations of health-care providers who wish to participate in the program to develop culturally relevant and affirming health-care training for health-care professionals; and
• Submit the list of the qualified applicants for the program to the health equity commission in the office for approval.

Each regulator in the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies for the applicable health-care professional is required to provide information concerning the training courses available to the licensee, certificate holder, or registrant. The regulator is required to encourage participation in the training courses.

$900,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public health and environment for allocation to the office to administer and support the program.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)