Bill clears the way for medical professionals to practice

Just in time for hurricane season, the Legislature is poised to approve legislation allowing volunteer physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other emergency medical personnel not licensed in Louisiana to offer assistance during an emergency. The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the measure Tuesday as a way to address why hordes of volunteers were turned away from the Katrina’s and Rita’s impact zone in 2005. Sen. Sherri Smith Cheek, R-Keithville, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 107, also known as the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act. More than a dozen other states have already beat Louisiana to the punch in enacting such laws over the past two years, including those with high elevations such as Colorado, Kentucky and Tennessee. The program relies on a series of national databases such as ESAR-VHP, MRC and other similar systems. If a medical professional trying to enter the impact zone isn’t registered in one of these databases, the legislation also calls for a recognition system for health-related licenses. The proposal was drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, a nonprofit organization that’s more than 117-years-old. It’s also supported by a variety of organizations, ranging from the Red Cross to the American College of Surgeons. — Jeremy Alford