BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2551
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS AND CONSUMER
PROTECTION
Mary Hayashi, Chair
AB 2551 (Hernandez) - As Amended: April 26, 2010
SUBJECT : Pharmacy technicians: scholarship and loan repayment
program.
SUMMARY : Establishes the California Pharmacy Technician
Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program (Program) for the
repayment of pharmacy technician (PT) education loans.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Permits the Health Professions Education Foundation (HPEF) to
solicit and receive funds from business, industry,
foundations, and other private and public sources for the
purpose of providing financial assistance in the form of
scholarships and loans through the Program.
2) Establishes the Program within HPEF.
3)Requires the Program to provide scholarships to pay for the
educational expenses of PT school students and to repay
qualifying educational loans of PTs who agree to participate
in designated medically underserved areas as provided in this
section.
4)Requires HPEF to administer the Program according to the
general guidelines applicable to the federal National Health
Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health
Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, except that:
a) A PT or PT student shall be eligible to participate in
the program if he or she agrees to provide PT services in a
practice site located in an area of the state where unmet
priority needs for primary care family physicians exist as
determined by the Health Workforce Policy Commission.
b) No matching funds shall be required from any entity in
the practice site area.
5)Requires the Program be implemented only to the extent that
sufficient money is available to administer the Program.
AB 2551
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6)Establishes the Program Fund in the State Treasury for any
private or public funds to the Program.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program, administered by the Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development, to provide for the
educational expenses of pharmacy students and to repay
qualifying educational loans of pharmacists who agree to serve
in areas of the state where unmet priority needs exist, as
specified.
2)Establishes the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program Fund in the State Treasury, which is funded
by voluntary contributions made by pharmacies or pharmacists
upon renewal of their license, and requires that the moneys in
the fund be available for the purpose of implementing the
above program, upon appropriation by the Legislature.
3)Authorizes the Health Professions Education Foundation to
implement various loan repayment programs for nurses, mental
health service providers, and physicians.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
Purpose of this bill . According to the author's office, "While
PTs are the second largest field within Allied Health, there is
no comprehensive statewide public or private financial aid
program to meet the needs of PTs. Becoming a PT requires an
associate degree in pharmacy technology, completion of a
240-hour training course accredited by the American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists, or graduation from a school of
pharmacy accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical
Education. Post-secondary education tuition ranges from
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[approximately] $1664 in fees at a community college ($23,306
total cost) to over $23,000 at a career or vocational college
(not including supplies or cost of living). Unfortunately, very
few community colleges in California provide training to become
PTs, so most students rely on private, costly education to
become licensed.
"California is one of the bottom 5 states with the greatest
unmet demand in PTs. In addition to preparing, packaging, and
distributing prescriptions, PTs often serve on the frontline of
health care delivery, assisting pharmacists with language and
cultural competency issues for patients. Demand for PTs will
increase significantly due to higher pharmaceutical demands by a
growing aging population, the need to replace workers to
transfer to other populations or leave the labor force, and
increased reliance on PTs by insurers, pharmacies and health
systems for the purposes of cost-containment."
Background . PTs help licensed pharmacists prepare prescription
medications, provide customer service, and perform
administrative duties within a pharmacy setting. PTs generally
are responsible for receiving prescription requests, counting
tablets, and labeling bottles, while pharmacy aides perform
administrative functions such as answering phones, stocking
shelves, and operating cash registers.
The Foundation provides scholarships and loan repayments to
aspiring and practicing health professionals who agree to
practice in a medically underserved area. Scholarships are
offered to health professional students attending one of
California's accredited colleges or universities. Loan repayment
programs are offered to graduates pursuing a health professional
career to assist in the repayment of educational debt.
Scholarships and loan repayments are offered to students and
graduates from allied health, nursing, mental health, medical
and dental. The Foundation administers the following funds and
scholarship and loan repayment programs:
1)The Vocational Nurse Education Fund
a) Funded through a $5.00 surcharge for renewal of the
Vocational Nurse license in California
b) Supports the Vocational Nurse Scholarship, Licensed
Vocational Nurse to Associate Degree Nursing and Licensed
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Vocational Nurse Loan Repayment programs
2)The Registered Nurse Education Fund
a) Funded through a $10.00 surcharge for renewal of the
Registered Nurse (RN) license in California
b) Supports the Associate Degree Nursing Scholarship (ADN),
the Bachelor of Science Nursing Scholarship (BSN), and the
Bachelor of Science Nursing Loan Repayment (BNSLRP)
3)The Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund
a) Funded through a $10.00 surcharge for renewal of
Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Licensed
Clinical Social Worker licenses in California
b) Supports the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider
Education Program
4)Mental Health Services Act Fund
a) Funded by Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services
Act, passed by voters in 2004 provides $2.5 million per
year
b) Supports the Mental Health Loan Assumption Program
5)The Health Professions Education Fund
a) Supported entirely through grants and contributions from
public and private agencies, hospitals, health plans,
foundations, corporations, and individuals
b) Supports the Allied Healthcare Education Scholarship,
the Health Professions Education Scholarship, the Health
Professions Loan Repayment, and the Steven M. Thompson
Physician Loan Repayment Program (STLRP)
6)Medically Underserved Account for Physicians
a) Funded through a $25.00 surcharge for renewal of
allopathic physician licenses in California and through the
Managed Care Administrative Fines and Penalties Fund.
b) STLRP supports recently licensed physicians
Those students and graduates who receive awards from the
Foundation are dedicated to practicing direct patient care in
medically underserved areas of California. Service obligations
are typically one to four years and vary depending on the
program.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care
Professionals
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sarah Weaver / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301