Highlights of the May 16, 2003 Board Meeting

The Respiratory Care Board of California (Board) met on Friday, May 16th, in Sacramento, California. Following are highlights from the meeting:

Technical Amendments and Education Regulations
The Board approved the technical and education language proposed in this regulation package as its Order of Adoption. Staff will now proceed with finalizing the rulemaking process and anticipates these regulations to be effective within 120 days. To view a copy of the language, please click on Laws/Regulations section.

Presentation to Barry Winn, Ed.D., RCP

The Board honored Dr. Barry Winn for his 12+ years of service. During his tenure, Dr. Winn served the Board in numerous capacities, most notably in his leadership role as President for 7 years. Dr. Winn's dedication to the Board was also acknowledged by previous and existing staff who expressed admiration for his commitment to consumer protection and raising the standards and perception of the profession. Dr. Winn was presented with a plaque and Senate Resolution highlighting his many accomplishments and thanking him for his immeasurable contributions.

Employee Recognition
Two staff members, Jennifer Mercado and Paula Velasquez, were recognized by Ms. Nunez for their outstanding achievements. Ms. Mercado has been instrumental in assisting the Board with reaching its goal to bring awareness of and recruit individuals into the respiratory care profession. Ms. Velasquez was honored for her hard work in the development of a Cost Recovery database which has resulted in the receipt of delinquent monies owed to the Board and for her willingness to take on and master such a challenging project.

2003/04 Budget
Ms. Nunez advised the Board that during the last six months, staff has received information and has been requested to perform budget drills that suggest the Board will be severely affected by the State's fiscal crisis. Ms. Nunez explained that although the Board is a special-fund agency, no differential is being shown between special-fund agencies and agencies that receive monies from the general fund. The 03/04 budget will likely include a continued reduction to In-State Travel, no funding for Out-of-State Travel, and a 5% pay reduction for all non-represented employees. The Board has also been required to prepare a Personal Services Reduction and Layoff Plan that includes 10% reductions solely to personnel items generally consisting of salaries and benefits, in the event an agreement between the State and the employee unions cannot be reached.

Strategic Goals and Objectives
Ms. Nunez provided an update on the Goals and Objectives contained in the Board's Strategic Plan. The Board will be exploring the possibility of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) produced by universities or companies willing to donate their services. The PSA will alert consumers to check the license status of home healthcare providers.

Committee Assignments
A list of Committee Assignments for 2003 was distributed and President Svonkin advised the Board that he had combined the functions of some committees. Most notably, the Professional Licensing Committee will now be addressing various practice issues (i.e. polysomnography, pulmonary function, unlicensed practice in home care).

November Meeting Location
In light of the existing State budget crisis and in an effort to minimize travel costs, the Board has changed the location of its November meeting from San Diego to Sacramento.

Ethics Training
President Svonkin proposed the requirement of an AARC developed ethics course which would be presented as a two-hour interactive exercise via correspondence/home-study or over the internet. Members expressed concern with associated cost and requested that additional information mandating the course and its cost be gathered and presented at the November meeting.

Recognition of RCPs in the Armed Forces
The Board approved a motion to recognize RCPs who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. These individuals should include any licensee who was deployed during the war or who may have been called to serve in an active duty capacity to replace another deployed member of the U.S. military. Anyone who knows of a licensee who meets this criteria is being asked to provide the individuals name and contact information to the Board via e-mail at rcbinfo@dca.ca.gov, toll free at (866) 375-0386, or via fax at (916) 323-9999.

Unlicensed Personnel/Employer Proposed Regulation
The Board approved regulatory language which specifies citation and fine criteria for a person, or employer of a person, who acts in the capacity of or engages in the business of a respiratory care practitioner without having a valid license. It is estimated that the official rulemaking process will be initiated within 30 days at which time the language will be added to the Laws/Regulations section of the Board's website.

RCP Recognition
The Board approved the format and criteria for which a licensee may be nominated for recognition by the Board. The criteria includes value of service, dignity, responsibility, teamwork, trust, accountability and relativity to the Board's mission. The nomination information will soon be available on the Board's website.

2003 Legislation
Legislation of Board interest includes:
SB 77 Physical Therapy: Scope of Practice - Support if amended
SB 252 Medical Assistants- Oppose
SB 363 Department of Consumer Affairs - Support
AB 751 Medi-Cal: Durable Medical Equipment: Fraud - Watch
AB 803 Medi-Cal: Fraud - Watch
AB 1549 Asthma Benefits - Support and request that an RCP be included in the workgroup panel established by this bill.
AB 1777 Health Care Practitioners - Support

You can find more information regarding these bills by visiting www.leginfo.ca.gov.

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions regarding any Board business we'd like to hear from you. Please send an e-mail to: rcbinfo@dca.ca.gov.