HEALTH CARE WORKER REGISTRY

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to make the Health Care Worker Registry that includes background check and training information accessible by health care employers. Allows the Department to maintain a publicly accessible registry. Makes changes regarding information that must be contained in the registry accessible to health care employers. Requires the Department to limit specific offense information on an applicant or employee. Requires that after June 30, 2016, the public registry report that an individual is ineligible for employment if he or she has a disqualifying offense under the Health Care Worker Background Check Act and has not received a waiver under that Act. Requires that the public registry report than an individual is eligible for employment if he or she has received a waiver but not the waiver information. Amends the Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Allows a health care employer to hire an individual with a disqualifying offense if the individual has received a waiver under the Act (rather than in the discretion of the Department of Public Health, no health care employer shall knowingly hire, employ, or retain any individual in a position with duties involving direct care for clients, patients, or residents, and no long-term care facility shall knowingly hire, employ, or retain any individual in a position with duties that involve or may involve contact with residents or access to the living quarters or the financial, medical, or personal records of residents, who has been convicted of committing or attempting to commit certain offenses). Creates a Health Care Worker Registry working group in the Office of the Governor. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.