OAR 851-001-0145: Emergency Declaration Response

In the event that the Governor issues an emergency declaration requiring an expansion of the workforce of licensees and certificate holders of the Board, the safety of the public will remain the focus of any Board initiated suspension or alteration of licensing rules. If expansion is needed, the following will be considered and, if needed, be implemented by Board staff: (1) Develop a process for Emergency Authorization to practice in Oregon based upon the following minimum criteria: (a) The applicant must have an active, unencumbered license to practice in another state or US territory as verified using the NURSYS ® database as primary source verification. (b) The Board will not issue any Emergency Authoizartions without an active emergency declaration. (c) All Emergency Authorizations issued by the Board under these rules will expire 90 days after date the emergency declaration is rescinded. (2) Oregon retired nurses or those with an inactive license may have their license reinstated provided they still meet the competency criteria established by the Board. Those who do not have the practice hours to establish competency will be referred to SERV-OR for additional volunteer opportunities. For the purposes of reactivation of these licenses, employment criteria as described in section 1 of this rule does not apply. (3) The Board will consult with the Department of Human Services to develop criteria for the expansion of the Certified Nursing Assistant workforce for nursing homes and long term care facilities in accordance with federal guidelines. Acute care facilities may adopt policies and procedures to validate competency for selected staff to assume needed patient care duties. The term Certified Nursing Assistant, nursing assistant, or nurse aide must not be used for these facility specific staff. (4) The Board may waive certain criteria for approval of nursing education programs based upon the circumstances of the declared emergency.