With only a handful of legislative days left before we leave Frankfort for the 10-day veto period, the pace picked up for both legislative committees and proceedings on the House Floor. While we voted on a variety of issues, I thought I might use this update to highlight some of the work we are doing to improve access to quality healthcare.

HB 156: Allows residents in psychiatric residential treatment facilities to designate essential personal care visitors. This mirrors the same exceptions provided for nursing homes in 2022.

HB 170: Gives health insurance plans the ability to cover the cost of sperm or egg preservation procedures before a patient diagnosed with cancer receives treatment.

HB 176: Requires the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to develop guidelines for health facilities conducting workplace safety assessments and creating a workplace safety plan, to audit health facilities for compliance with these plans, and requires health facilities to provide training on the workplace safety assessment and plan.

HB 200: Establishes the Kentucky Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (KHWIF) to be administered by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). The fund would provide a dollar-for-dollar match with healthcare partners for healthcare training scholarships for Kentucky residents for healthcare program incentives.

HB 238: Prohibits a health care provider from discriminating against an individual who has a disability based solely on the individual’s disability when providing care related to an organ donation.

HB 248: Require recovery residences to be certified by the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network, the National Alliance for Recovery Residences, Oxford House, or other organizations recognized and approved by CHFS, and state agencies to only refer individuals to certified residences. HB 248 would also require these residences to ensure residents abstain from alcohol, illicit drugs, and other intoxicating substances, verify that residents participate in recovery support services, and requires residences to list services offered, including a notice that the residence is not a treatment facility.

HB 353: Removes fentanyl test strips from the definition of drug paraphernalia to help curb fentanyl related overdoses. The majority of overdose deaths in the Commonwealth involve drugs laced with fentanyl.

HB 391: Requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to facilitate an annual joint training for surveyors of long-term care facilities and long-term care providers led by CHFS and long-term care associations.

As always, I can be reached here at home anytime, or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Feel free to contact me via email at Daniel.Elliott@lrc.ky.gov. If you would like more information, please visit the legislature’s website at www.legislature.ky.gov.