Bill > SB113

This bill authorizes the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists and the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish professional health programs designed to monitor and rehabilitate impaired healthcare professionals. The bill defines key terms such as "impaired" (meaning a professional unable to practice safely due to illness, substance use, or mental/physical conditions) and "professional health program" (a monitoring and rehabilitation initiative). The programs would allow these boards to contract with external entities to help healthcare professionals recover and ensure public safety. The bill provides several important protections and provisions: all information related to these programs would be confidential and not subject to public records requests or legal discovery, participating professionals would bear their own program costs, and the contracted entities would be immune from liability when performing program functions. The boards may fund these programs through various means including private funding, public grants, and donations, and the programs are subject to legislative appropriation. The goal is to help healthcare professionals address personal challenges while maintaining professional standards and protecting patient safety.

Health and Social Services

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70009