Legislation (SB 9/HB 1607) is now awaiting consideration by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen that creates a path for a nurse aide with at least one year of experience to train as a medication technician. A course will be developed by the Tennessee Board of Nursing that will be at least 75 hours including classroom and clinical instruction. Medication technician activities will be considered nursing functions and are to be regulated by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Injections, chemotherapeutic agents and controlled substances may not be administered by medication technicians.
The Tennessee General Assembly has also passed legislation (SB 1214/HB 1877) that was signed by Governor Bredesen that clearly allows residents who require hospice services upon move-in to an assisted living community to be able to receive these services. This legislation complements legislation passed last year that allowed hospice services for residents currently living in assisted living communities.
ALFA wishes to thank Page Ensor, Executive Director of Tennessee-ALFA, ALFA’s official state chapter in Tennessee, along with Tennessee-ALFA lobbyist Mark Greene for their leadership and efforts toward the passage of these legislative measures that will improve the quality of life residents living in Tennessee’s assisted living communities.
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