Governor Lamont Looks To Expand CT Healthcare Workforce

In the state's continuing effort to slow the transmission of the Coronavirus, Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order yesterday that modifies the licensing of healthcare workers.

The executive order, the 46th signed by the Governor since the start of the pandemic, recognizes that "there is a significant need to expand the healthcare workforce in Connecticut, especially related to care of patients in congregate settings."

The Governor's order makes it possible for those who are trained but unlicensed to work as a temporary nurse's aid in nursing homes and rest homes, under the supervision of a licensed nurse. Any institution hiring a temporary nurse's aid has procedures to follow as laid out by the Commissioner of Public Health. This should be a nice shot in the arm to many facilities that are currently understaffed as it will expedite hiring procedures while still keeping patients safe.

Under the executive order, Section 20-102aa of the Connecticut General Statutes is modified to include a definition of “temporary nurse aide,” which shall mean an individual providing nursing or nursing-related services to residents in a chronic and convalescent nursing home or rest home with nursing supervision, having eight hours of on-line training without enhanced infection control skills and ineligible to work with COVID-19 positive patients, in accordance with and under the direction of a licensed nurse, but does not include an individual who is a health professional otherwise licensed or certified by the Department of Public Health, or who volunteers to provide such services without monetary compensation.