2020 First Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 19
BY SENATOR BARROW
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to recommend and make publicly
available standards and curricula on the subject of implicit bias in the delivery of
health care for health professional education programs and health professional
licensing boards.
WHEREAS, prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, health care professionals
have been among the most valued and trusted workers in our state and nation; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana's health care workers have performed heroically and made
incredible sacrifices in fulfilling their professional calling during our state's response to
COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, like all other persons, regardless of background, culture, or creed,
health care professionals carry with them ingrained and often unconscious assumptions
about the people with whom they interact; and
WHEREAS, these assumptions can manifest into a characteristic known as implicit
bias; and
WHEREAS, implicit bias, which is also referred to as unconscious bias, refers to the
attitudes and beliefs about other people that affect our understanding, decisions, and actions
in an unconscious manner; and
WHEREAS, our attitudes and beliefs affect how we treat individuals based on
characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance which can impact the provision
of health care; and
WHEREAS, a growing body of evidence indicates that implicit bias in the delivery
of health care leads to poor health outcomes, increases in the cost of care, and the widening
of health disparities; and
WHEREAS, there are twenty-four health profession licensing boards statutorily
created to regulate the profession and protect the public; and
Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 19 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, to improve the health and well-being of people, licensed health
professionals must know the importance of understanding and treating the whole person; and
WHEREAS, instituting curricula and training initiatives which address implicit bias
in health care will empower Louisiana's health professionals to have a positive impact on the
lives of the people they treat and will improve the overall quality of health care delivered to
the people of our state.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to recommend and make
publicly available standards and curricula on implicit bias for the various types of licensed
health professionals in this state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby urge and request each school of medicine, nursing, and allied health in this state to
compare its current training and educational curricula on implicit bias with the
recommended standards and curricula published by the Louisiana Department of Health in
accordance with this Resolution, and to adopt or adapt the recommended standards and
curricula for its health professional education programs.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby urge and request each health profession licensing board of this state to work with the
Louisiana Department of Health to offer to its licensees training on implicit bias that aligns
with the recommended standards and curricula published by the department in accordance
with this Resolution, and to consider instituting completion of training on implicit bias as
a requirement for licensure.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the director of boards and commissions of
the office of the governor, and the commissioner of higher education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2