Title 70 — Title 70 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.(1) "Administrative structure" means a system of contracts or formal agreements between organizations and persons providing health services in an area that establishes the…

(1) The department shall establish the Washington rural health system project to provide financial and technical assistance to participants. The goal of the project is to help assure access to affordable health care services to citizens in the rural areas of Washington state.(2) …

The department shall adopt rules consistent with this chapter to carry out the purpose of this chapter. All rules shall be adopted in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW. All rules and procedures adopted by the department shall minimize paperwork and compliance requirements for par…

The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:(1) To design the project application and selection process, including a program to advertise the project to rural communities and encourage prospective applicants to apply. Project sites that receive seed grant funding may…

The duties and responsibilities of participating communities shall include:(1) To involve major health care providers, businesses, public officials, and other community leaders in project design, administration, and oversight;(2) To identify an individual or organization to serve…

(1) The secretary may call upon other agencies of the state to provide available information to assist the secretary in meeting the responsibilities under this chapter. This information shall be supplied as promptly as circumstances permit.(2) The secretary may call upon other st…

In addition to the powers and duties specified in RCW 70.175.050 the secretary has the power to enter into contracts for the following functions and services:(1) With public or private agencies, to assist the secretary in the secretary's duties to design or revise the health stat…

(1) Participants are authorized to use funding granted to them by the secretary for the purpose of contracting for technical assistance services. Participants shall use only consultants identified by the secretary for consulting services unless the participant can show that an al…

(1) The department shall establish and adopt such standards and rules pertaining to the construction, maintenance, and operation of a rural health care facility and the scope of health care services, and rescind, amend, or modify the rules from time to time as necessary in the pu…

In developing the rural health care facility licensure regulations, the department shall:(1) Minimize regulatory requirements to permit local flexibility and innovation in providing services;(2) Promote the cost-efficient delivery of health care and other social services as is ap…

The rural health care facility is not considered a hospital for building occupancy purposes.[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 s 712.]

The department may develop and implement a rural health care plan and may approve hospital and rural health care facility requests to be designated as essential access community hospitals or rural primary care hospitals so that such facilities may form rural health networks to pr…

Any licensee or applicant desiring to make alterations or additions to its facilities or to construct new facilities may contact the department for consultative advice before commencing such alteration, addition, or new construction.[ 1992 c 27 s 5.]

The legislature finds that a health care access problem exists in rural areas of the state because rural health care providers are unable to leave the community for short-term periods of time to attend required continuing education training or for personal matters because their a…

The legislature finds that a shortage of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and physician assistants exists in rural areas of the state. In addition, many education programs to train these health care providers do not include options for practical training experience in rural setti…

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.(1) "Department" means the department of health.(2) "Rural areas" means a rural area in the state of Washington as identified by the department.[ 1991 c 332 s 29.]Notes:Ap…

The department shall establish or contract for a health professional temporary substitute resource pool. The purpose of the pool is to provide short-term physician, physician assistant, pharmacist, and *advanced registered nurse practitioner personnel to rural communities where t…

(1) The department, in cooperation with the University of Washington school of medicine, the state's registered nursing programs, the state's pharmacy programs, and other appropriate public and private agencies and associations, shall develop and keep current a register of physic…

(1) Requests for a temporary substitute health care professional may be made to the department by the certified health plan, local rural hospital, public health department or district, community health clinic, local practicing physician, physician assistant, pharmacist, or *advan…

(1) The department, in consultation with at least the student achievement council, the state board for community and technical colleges, the superintendent of public instruction, and state-supported education programs in medicine, pharmacy, and nursing, shall develop a plan for i…

The department, in consultation with training programs that lead to licensure in midwifery and certification as a certified nurse midwife, and other appropriate private and public groups, shall develop a statewide plan to address access to midwifery services.The plan shall includ…

Any additional expenditures incurred by the University of Washington from provisions of chapter 271, Laws of 1990 shall be funded from existing financial resources.[ 1990 c 271 s 28.]

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.(1) "Department" means the department of health.(2) "Health care professional recruitment and retention strategic plan" means a plan developed by the participant and inclu…

The department, in consultation with appropriate private and public entities, shall establish a health professional recruitment and retention clearinghouse. The clearinghouse shall:(1) Inventory and classify the current public and private health professional recruitment and reten…

(1) The department may, subject to funding, establish community-based recruitment and retention project sites to provide financial and technical assistance to participating communities. The goal of the project is to help assure the availability of health care providers in rural a…

The department shall adopt rules consistent with this chapter to carry out the purpose of this chapter. All rules shall be adopted in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW. All rules and procedures adopted by the department shall minimize paperwork and compliance requirements for par…

The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:(1) To design the project application and selection process, including a program to advertise the project to rural communities and encourage prospective applicants to apply. Subject to funding, project sites shall be select…

The duties and responsibilities of participating communities shall include:(1) To involve major health care providers, businesses, public officials, and other community leaders in project design, administration, and oversight;(2) To identify an individual or organization to serve…

(1) The secretary may call upon other agencies of the state to provide available information to assist the secretary in meeting the responsibilities under this chapter. This information shall be supplied as promptly as circumstances permit.(2) The secretary may call upon other st…

(1) Participants are authorized to use funding granted to them by the secretary for the purpose of contracting for technical assistance services. Participants shall use only consultants identified by the secretary for consulting services unless the participant can show that an al…

(1) The department may develop a mechanism for underserved rural or urban communities to contract with education and training programs for student positions above the full time equivalent lids. The goal of this program is to provide additional capacity, educating students who wil…

The secretary may establish and contract with area health education centers in the eastern and western parts of the state. Consistent with the recruitment and retention objectives of this chapter, the centers shall provide or facilitate the provision of health professional educat…

See notes following RCW 18.130.010.

The council shall annually solicit from community networks proposals to facilitate greater flexibility, coordination, and responsiveness of services at the community level. The council shall consider such proposals only if:(1) A comprehensive plan has been prepared by the communi…

(1) The Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct or contract for monitoring and tracking of the implementation of chapter 7, Laws of 1994 sp. sess. to determine whether these efforts result in a measurable reduction of violence. The institute shall also conduct …

(1) The legislature authorizes community public health and safety networks to reconnect parents and other citizens with children, youth, families, and community institutions which support health and safety. The networks have only those powers and duties expressly authorized under…

No network member may vote to authorize, or attempt to influence the authorization of, any expenditure in which the member's immediate family has a fiduciary interest. For the purpose of this section "immediate family" means a spouse, parent, grandparent, adult child, brother, or…

The community public health and safety networks shall:(1) Review state and local public health data and analysis relating to risk factors, protective factors, and at-risk children and youth;(2) Prioritize the risk factors and protective factors to reduce the likelihood of their c…

(1) Each network shall contract with a public entity as its lead fiscal agent. The contract shall grant the agent authority to perform fiscal, accounting, contract administration, legal, and other administrative duties, including the provision of liability insurance. Any contract…

(1) The community network's plan may include a program to provide postsecondary scholarships to at-risk students who: (a) Are community role models under criteria established by the community network; (b) successfully complete high school; and (c) maintain at least a 2.5 grade po…

The community network's plan may include funding for a student designed media and community campaign promoting sexual abstinence and addressing the importance of delaying sexual activity and pregnancy or male parenting until individuals are ready to nurture and support their chil…

(1) A network shall, upon application to the council, be eligible to receive planning grants and technical assistance from the council. However, during the 1999-01 fiscal biennium, a network that has not finalized its membership shall be eligible to receive such grants and assist…

The implementation of community networks shall be included in all federal and state plans affecting the state's children, youth, and families. The plans shall be consistent with the intent and requirements of this chapter.[ 1994 sp.s. c 7 s 314.]Notes:Finding—Intent—Severability—…

If a community network is unable or unwilling to assume powers and duties authorized under this chapter by June 30, 1998, or the Washington state institute for public policy makes a recommendation under RCW 70.190.050, the governor may transfer all funds and programs available to…

A community public health and safety network, based on rules adopted by the department of health, may include in its comprehensive community plans procedures for providing matching grants to school districts to support expanded use of school facilities for after-hours recreationa…

(1) The network members are immune from all civil liability arising from their actions done in their decision-making capacity as a network member, except for their intentional tortious acts or acts of official misconduct.(2) The assets of a network are not subject to attachment o…

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …

(1) The legislature finds that children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families have unique needs specific to the hearing loss. These unique needs reflect the challenges children with hearing loss and their families encounter related to their lack of full access to aud…

(1) There is established an advisory council in the department of social and health services for the purpose of advancing the development of a comprehensive and effective statewide system to provide prompt and effective early interventions for children in the state who are deaf o…

(1) The advisory council shall develop statewide standards for early intervention services and early intervention services providers specifically related to children who are deaf or hard of hearing.(2) The advisory council shall develop these standards by January 1, 2005.[ 2004 c…