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HB075110.100 - 1628 - XXXX GA
AN ACT relating to the creation of the Commonwealth West Healthcare Workforce 1
Innovation Center, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency. 2
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 3
Section 1. The Commonwealth West Healthcare Workforce Innovation Center 4
shall be established to provide accessible, healthcare-specific educational pathways in the 5
western region of the state for postsecondary, high school, and nontraditional students to 6
address decreased student enrollment in healthcare-related fields, resulting in expanding 7
the pipeline of qualified healthcare workers and reducing the shortage of qualified 8
medical staff across the Commonwealth. 9
Section 2. The center shall be a health education, innovation, and simulation 10
facility located in Owensboro that offers a combination of instruction and hands-on 11
experiential learning opportunities to students pursuing nursing and allied health 12
credentials. The center shall be operated and maintained through a collaborative 13
partnership between public and private organizations, including but not limited to Brescia 14
University, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Henderson Community 15
and Technical College, Hopkinsville Community and Technical College, Kentucky 16
Wesleyan College, Madisonville Community and Technical College, Owensboro 17
Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University, Western Kentucky 18
University-Owensboro, University of Louisville School of Nursing-Owensboro, and 19
Owensboro Health, Inc. 20
Section 3. The center shall provide in-person and virtual didactic instruction 21
and hands-on, experiential learning opportunities while offering career paths to address 22
immediate workforce needs, including but not limited to nursing, nursing assistant, 23
medical office assistant, radiology science, long-term care, social work, clinical 24
psychology, behavioral health, laboratory services, paramedic, and community healthcare 25
workers. 26
Section 4. The General Assembly shall provide funds for the initial start-up and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS HB 751/GA
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HB075110.100 - 1628 - XXXX GA
operating costs of the center, including but not limited to faculty, personnel, facility, 1
equipment, and furnishings in the form of a grant to be administered by the Kentucky 2
Community and Technical College System and distributed to the collaborating partners 3
and organizations in accordance with the agreements established for the center. 4
Section 5. By January 1, 2023, and by November 1, 2024, the Kentucky 5
Community and Technical College System shall provide a report to the Legislative 6
Research Commission on the status of the center, including but not limited to operations, 7
enrollment, expenditures, funding, and partnerships. 8
Section 6. There is hereby appropriated to the Kentucky Community and 9
Technical College System General Fund moneys in the amount of $24,258,300 in fiscal 10
year 2022-2023 and $13,741,700 in fiscal year 2023-2024 for the purpose of establishing 11
and operating the Commonwealth West Healthcare Workforce Innovation Center as 12
described in this Act. Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, the General Fund appropriation in 13
fiscal year 2022-2023 and fiscal year 2023-2024 shall not lapse and shall carry forward in 14
the Kentucky Community and Technical College System for the purposes specified in this 15
section. 16
Section 7. Whereas the healthcare workforce shortage is a significant challenge 17
for the Commonwealth and the provisions of this Act will help address the problem, an 18
emergency is declared to exist and this Act takes effect upon its passage and approval by 19
the Governor or upon its otherwise becoming a law. 20