Healthcare Bias

This is a bill about stopping bias in healthcare in Virginia by training doctors and nurses on it as part of what they have to do to continue learning after finishing school

• Bias in healthcare: when healthcare professionals, systems, or policies treat certain groups better, leading to unequal care and poor results. It often starts from stereotypes about race, gender, age, weight, disability, ethnicity, or religious background.

• If this bill passes, it will:

  • Update part of Virginia law about trainings nurses can take to continue being a nurse.  

  • The groups of doctors and nurses that make important rules, called “boards,” will make nurses and doctors in Virginia do ongoing learning on lowering bias in healthcare.  

    • The boards will pick groups that find and support lessons that have been tested and proven to work, for this training.  

  • Rules will be created to make professionals take training on lowering bias when renewing their licenses to work as a  doctor or nurse.  

    • Training will be needed every time people renew their licenses, but not more than every two years.  

  • The first training everyone will have to do will focus on unconscious racial bias that impacts medical care during pregnancy and after birth.

    • Unconscious racial bias: automatic stereotypes about racial groups that are in every part of society, and affect people’s judgment and behavior without them knowing.

  • Future training will cover other relevant practice topics that the boards choose.

    • The boards will update the list of available trainings as new needs come up.  

  • The Boards will share information with state agencies responsible for health and pre-birth care, on: 

    • how many professionals finish the training 

    • what types they are 

  • The agency focused on pre-birth care, called the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative, will: 

    • Check on how well the training works 

    • Make ways to test the training

    • Suggest improvements.

  • Part of Virginia law will change to include rules about: 

    • License renewal 

    • Continuing education 

    • What happens when there is a break in someone having their license 

      • People who have had a break in having a license can get theirs back once they show they’ve done everything they are supposed to, and have paid the money for it.

    • Getting your license back 

    • Punishments.  

  • Licenses given out once these changes start will need to be renewed every two years. 

  • News that someone needs to renew their license will be sent out online and by mail. 

    • Even if someone doesn’t get it, they still need to renew.

  • Professionals renewing their license must show the right information and pay the fee.

Position Statement:

New Disabled South supports the changes in this bill because they create more training for healthcare professionals in Virginia that can lower bias. Less bias can create better healthcare for everyone, especially people of color and disabled people.