Utah lawmakers consider bill to regulate life coach standards after Ruby Franke child abuse case
Utah lawmakers are working on a bill to regulate life coaches in the state in response to the high-profile case of Ruby Franke, who this week pleaded guilty to four second-degree felony counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke gained popularity through her YouTube parenting channel called “8 Passengers,” which documented family life with her six children. However, after the extreme methods of discipline revealed in her videos raised concerns among viewers, she shut down the channel in 2022 and began working with Jodi Hildebrandt, a licensed mental health counsellor and founder of a life coaching service called ConneXions. Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on Aug. 30 after Franke’s emaciated and injured 12-year-old son escaped Hildebrandt’s house and a neighbor called police. As part of her plea deal, Franke agreed to testify against Hildebrandt, who faces six second-degree felony counts of aggravated child abuse and is unable to practice until her case is resolved.
But as Sen. David Hinkins points out, there’s nothing stopping Franke from working as a life coach after she serves her prison sentence because the profession isn’t currently regulated. Working closely with Utah’s Division of Professional Licensing, he’s working to change this by drafting a bill that would set qualifications and regulations on the life coaching industry. Hinkins is still gathering ideas for the bill but says he’s confident it will be introduced in the next legislative session. Read more at KJZZ.com.
Manitoba government discontinues health care recruitment mission in the Philippines
Newly elected Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says his NDP government will not be continuing an ongoing recruiting mission for health care workers in the Philippines started by the Progressive Conservatives, which so far has brought only 23 recruits to the province.
While the Philippines has been a popular recruiting ground for Canadian health authorities, the previous government’s recruitment mission there has faced delays and questions over costs and effectiveness. Out of 309 Filipino recruits who accepted offers to pursue careers in Manitoba as registered nurses, licensed practical nurse equivalents, or aides in June, only 23 people had arrived as of Dec. 14, with an additional six approved for travel and 39 moving through pre-arrival stages. None of the recruits has achieved registration with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba yet, but the regulator has set up an accelerated pathway for Filipino recruits who received a conditional job offer, allowing them to complete a portion of the application process while still living abroad.
Kinew said his government will continue efforts to bring the remaining recruits to Manitoba, but there are no immediate plans for additional recruiting missions to the Philippines. Instead, the NDP strategy will cast a “wider net” that includes recruitment efforts in other parts of the world as well as education and retention initiatives.
At an unrelated news conference held Dec. 14, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara suggested the NDP government will try to remove barriers to accreditation for internationally educated heath care workers already living in Manitoba. Read more from the Winnipeg Free Press.
Lawsuit alleges New Jersey’s telehealth licensure rules hamper access to care
A lawsuit filed in New Jersey District Court last week alleges that the state’s telehealth physician licensure requirements – which were reinstated this year after being temporarily relaxed during the pandemic – limit access to potentially lifesaving specialty care.
Like several other states, during the pandemic New Jersey relaxed its requirement that providers must be licensed in the state to offer virtual care, allowing patients to see out-of-state physicians via telehealth if they had existing relationships. The state also streamlined the licensing process, allowing physicians to become licensed within 24 hours of applying, and waived licensing fees. However, after these flexibilities expired in March, New Jersey reverted back to its standard licensing process, which can take months to complete.
The lawsuit against the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners was filed by two patients, an oncologist, and a neurologist. The specialists argue they have expertise sought by patients across the nation, and without telemedicine, the time and expense required to travel for consultations can preclude many patients from accessing life-saving medical treatments as well as critical follow-up care and monitoring. Without access to out-of-state providers, patients might have to rely on local clinicians who might not have experience with rare diseases. Both patients in the lawsuit had complex medical conditions that were successfully treated with the help of telehealth.
The lawsuit comes as legislators across the nation weigh making telehealth flexibilities introduced during the pandemic permanent. Read more at Yahoo! Finance.
More news:
- Four U.S. state and local governments have partnered with the General Services Administration on a pilot program that will enable them to notify residents of application deadlines, fraud reduction tips, critical service updates, and other notices via text messaging. The new service, called Notify.gov, will allow the governments in the states of Wisconsin and Washington, along with the City of Norfolk, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland to send individually customized text messages in as little as 10 minutes without any technical knowledge or systems integration required.
- The Commission on the Healing Arts of Guam is seeking input from various boards on whether they are interested in the Health Professional Licensing Office becoming semi-autonomous, which would allow the office to govern itself and generate income through fees and licensing. Department of Public Health and Social Services Director Art San Agustin said the shift would remove any notion of impropriety when it comes to dealing with complaints against health professionals.
- China’s State Council published new rules on the supervision and management of non-banking payment institutions slated to go into effect on May 1, 2024. The rules implement tougher licensing regulations and call for stronger risk management of non-bank payment platforms to prevent misappropriation of funds and other criminal activities. They will also require institutions to strengthen the protection of user information, clearly mark prices for their services, and charge “reasonable” fees. Businesses that violate the new rules will face steep punishments, including fines, suspensions, or revocation of their payment business licenses.
- Facing pressure from environmental groups to make progress on reducing emissions, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault announced revised guidelines that will require all new vehicles sold in Canada to be zero-emissions by 2035. The Electric Vehicle Availability Standard calls for automakers to substantially ramp up the sales of electric vehicles in the coming years, requiring that one-fifth of the vehicles sold in 2026 and three-fifths in 2030 be either fully electric or plug-in hybrids. The automobile industry has pushed back against the regulations, arguing that the higher cost of electric vehicles and patchwork nature of charging infrastructure across the country make the federal government’s goals unrealistic.
Also noteworthy:
Interesting opinion, commentary, and analysis from the web:
- AI insights: How regulators worldwide are addressing the adoption of AI in financial services (JD Supra)
- How will Biden’s executive order on trustworthy AI impact health care? (HealthITAnalytics)
- Reimagining tech modernization for the future in government (FedScoop)
Disclaimer: The thoughts, opinions, and commentary of the articles we share links to in Week in Brief do not necessarily reflect those of Ascend Magazine or Thentia.
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