Senate Health & Social Services, 4/21/26, 3:30pm

Bring this hearing of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee to order. Today is Tuesday, April 21st. The time is 3:32. We are in Bytheridge Room 205. Members present: Senator Myers, Senator Clayman, Senator Tobin, Vice Chair Giesel, and myself, Chair Dunbar.

Let the record reflect we have quorum to conduct business. Before we begin, I would like to thank Mary Gwen Kawakami, the Senate Health and Social Services Recording Secretary, and Zach Lauthorn from the Juneau LIO for Staff in the committee today. We have one item on our agenda, though it feels like more, and that's the confirmation of board appointees for the governor. We have many of them online and filtering in now. So we begin our confirmation considerations.

Committee members have resumes and applications in front of them. For members of the public, the document can be found on BASIS documents. The plan today is to hear a statement from each appointee, have the committee members ask questions, and take public testimony for all appointees at the end of the meeting. Okay, I see. So first up, we have Damian Delzer, Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Dr. Delzer, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

Good afternoon, Chair Dunbar, Vice Chair Giesel, and esteemed members of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee. Thank you for your time and consideration this afternoon. My name is Damian Delzer. I am a 33-year resident of Fairbanks. I raised two children here, and I'm proud to say both are graduates of the University of Alaska system, one here in Fairbanks at UAF and one in Anchorage at UAA.

I am a practicing optometrist in a multi-specialty clinic in Fairbanks. And I previously had the honor of serving as a member of the Board of Examiners in Optometry. I was also privileged to work closely with the Legislative Audit Division during the previous sunset audit. Alaska is fortunate to have optometrists in many rural and urban areas providing high-quality comprehensive care in local communities, saving tremendous amounts of travel expense for Medicaid as well as for individuals. It is an honor to be a candidate for the board, and should you confirm me, to serve and fulfill the board's statutory purpose of regulating and controlling the practice of optometry and to protect and promote the public health, welfare, and safety.

From a pers— professional perspective, I have served as a clinical senior examiner for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. I am a current course content reviewer for the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry. I'm a former associate professor of clinical optometry at two universities, and I am the former chief of eye services for the United States Army Alaska. And I am proud to have established an externship program which has successfully recruited new doctors to return and practice in Alaska. As a disabled veteran, I have a heart for our military and veterans in Alaska, which I believe we have the distinction of having the largest per capita of any state in the nation.

Our boards have been instrumental in reducing barriers to licensure for our military family members to gain licensure without undue burden and delay. I am again honored to be considered for confirmation to the board, and I look forward to serving and am grateful for the opportunity and for your time this afternoon. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Delzer. Are there any questions for Dr. Delzer?

Senator Clayman. Thank you. Dr. Delzer, in your current practice at the Eye Clinic of Fairbanks, is that a clinic that has both ophthalmologists and optometrists working together?

Through the chair, Senator, yes, thank you. There is an ophthalmologist and several optometrists working in a coordinated fashion. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Clayman.

Are there any other questions for Dr. Delzer?

Seeing none, thank you, Dr. Delzer, for joining us today. We will now move on to Eliza Ellsworth, State Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Board. Dr. Ellsworth, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

We cannot hear you if you are online. Ms. Ellsworth, are you muted? Hi. Hello. Hi.

Can you hear me now? Yes, we can hear you now. Through the chair, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I apologize on how nervous I could possibly be because it's my first time, but my name is Eliza Ellsworth. I am a physical therapist and have been appointed to the State of Alaska Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Licensing Board.

I am a physical therapist going on 12 years out in the rural parts of Alaska, mainly based out of Bethel, Alaska, working full-time at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital servicing the general Alaska Native population. What brought me up here was the uniqueness of the area and how adventurous or how many adventures someone can get into or go through being out in the rural part of Alaska. I didn't even have to see my job or where I was working when I felt that I had to be in this area. It was just an added bonus to know that I get to treat patients out in this area. I heard of, I guess, the rural portions of treatment from the IHS facility, IHS website, and my heart just got drawn out here.

And being here, I've been able to treat an area that has been— has had lack of access to service. And knowing that, I wanted to be part of, I guess, the bigger picture of getting services out here and also having— keeping a high standard of care for the people of the state of Alaska.

I mean, that's all I had to say. I am so sorry. Very good. Thank you. Are there any questions for Dr. Ellsworth?

Senator Tobin. Thank you. I just want to say thank you for expressing such a deep passion for rural communities. I see here on your resume that you mention advanced wound care and particularly highlight frostbite. And I'm just personally curious, as I've never really I don't know the connection between physical therapy and frostbite wounds and was hoping you might be able to help educate me on that relationship.

Yes, through the chair, thank you, Senator, for that question. The uniqueness of being out in this area, our physical therapists can practice their entire scope of practice. We are taught wound care in our curriculum as doctorate programs. So, generally in the rural system, even as just as close as Anchorage, a lot of wound care is diverted to nurse or other wound care clinics, but out where I am treating right now, we get to do the main frostbite care, complex wound care, so we are taught it in our curriculum, we just don't necessarily There's a lot of specialties on the road system, but out here we get a chance to do it.

Thank you. Uh, thank you, Dr. Ellsworth. I don't see any other questions. Thank you for joining us today. We'll move on now to Dr. Michelle Scott-Webber, State Physical Therapy and Occupational Board.

Dr. Scott-Webber, please state your name for the record and begin your You know, I'm not seeing them actually. Do we have them? No. Okay, well, we will perhaps circle back then. Moving on to Heather Crivello, who I do see online.

She's being appointed to the Board of Nursing. Ms. Crivello, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony. I'm so excited to be here. For the record, this is Heather Crivello. I am a member of the Board of Nursing.

I thank you for the opportunity to speak today. Again, my name is Heather Cravello. I am a registered nurse with a clinical background in perioperative care at a rural critical access hospital in Kodiak, Alaska. My focus has always been on patient safety, access to care, and maintaining high standards of practice. I am honored to serve in a role that helps protect the public through Safe and Competent Nursing regulation, uh, through the Alaska Board of Nursing.

Very good. Um, are there any questions for Ms. Crivello? Uh, we'll start with Senator Giesel. Uh, yes, Ms. Crivello, you are implying that you have served on the Board of Nursing previously. I see your appointment was on March 1st, but you served previously.

I'm not seeing it in your resume. Perhaps I'm missing it.

No, I have not previously served on the Board of Nursing. I have just been appointed that—. I've just been granted and appointed that opportunity. Thank you. Yes, some people do confuse that.

That the legislature has to confirm the appointees. So thank you very much for being willing to be considered for appointment. Thank you. Thank you, Senator, uh, Kiesel. Did you have a question, Senator Myers?

No, no question there. Um, okay, I don't see any other questions. Uh, thank you, Ms. Cravello. We'll move on now to Mr. Michael Collins. He is online.

Board of Nursing. Mr. Collins, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony. Thank you very much, sir. The chair, my name is Michael Collins. Um, I've lived in Alaska now for 23 years.

I've been, uh, the principal of Collins Financial Group here and managing my own financial practice for almost 10 years now, come August. I was previously appointed to the Alaska Board of Nursing in November of '23 and was elected as secretary during that appointment, and it's a— has been a privilege and an honor to do so, and to be in the process of potentially being reappointed again is nothing short of an honor. I have a passion for the quality of care our state receives, and growing up I had an autistic brother and a mother that passed suddenly to a brain aneurysm. I have a passion to use my life experiences to kind of help guide and give a different perspective, or, you know, on the on the mission of the board, which is, you know, actively promoting and protecting health of the citizens of Alaska through governance and the practice of nursing. It's been very rewarding to work with the current regulations project that we're undergoing to create efficiencies through the policies which the board enforces, as well as advocating for the Nurses Compact that we've been working on for years, and it's just been quite, uh, rewarding as well to, to be, uh, appointed as this public seat, and it's been a privilege and hopefully a continuing honor to serve.

Very good. Are there any questions? I see that you spent 2 years as the executive deputy director of Beans Cafe. It's very interesting. Were you living in Anchorage at that time, or were you out in Wasilla?

No, I was, uh, during that time, um, years ago, I was, I was still living in the Valley and commuting and working there. Yes, very good. Um, and Bean's Cafe has changed a lot since then. Um, Senator Kiesel has a question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I actually don't have a question. I just wanted to thank you, Mr. Collins, for agreeing to serve as a public member. I've served two terms on that board and chaired it for 6 years, and I know public seats are hard to fill with people who care. So thank you very much for serving in that public seat. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Giesel. Any other questions? I don't see any more. Mr. Collins, thank you for your time today. We'll move now to Ms. Ivy Villani, appointee Board of Social Work examiners.

Ms. Villani, please state your name for to the record and begin your testimony. Hello, my name is Ivy Valani. I am a licensed clinical social worker, um, in the state of Alaska. I have actually been practicing within this specific license since 2019, um, and in the state of Alaska since 2022. Um, I actually attempted to join the board when I moved here and had to wait a specific amount of time, so I joined the board back in 2025.

I've been very excited to join the Social Work Board because here in Alaska, we're in a very fortuitous place of being able to roll out and implement changes for the bettering of both the people that we serve and the people that have licensure, because we can kind of see how it works or does not work in all of the other states that have a little bit more leeway of testing and moving things around. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with this board in whatever capacity I'm able to.

Very good. Any questions? Uh, Senator Giesel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, Ms. Villani, what exactly, uh, are you looking to change related to this board?

So, um, some of the things that have kind of been brought up to my attention— I'm speaking on behalf of myself and not necessarily the board in any capacity— um, is definitely the, the process itself of licensure, the requirements that are going into it, but then also that ability to kind of be involved with individuals. I know that specifically with the Board of Licensure, it was— I had to look to see about joining the board and find that information. And so without actually having that desire, actually would not have known that being a member of it was possible. And either a a public or professional capacity. Um, and then furthering that would be helping with the interstate licensure component of it, making sure that the expectations we're putting on social workers in Alaska are similar to, in the bare minimum, of other places in, in the rest of the country.

Senator Giesel. Thank you, Mr. Sherman. So you're saying that ours are stricter Could you clarify what you mean by aligning them with other states?

Yes, absolutely. Um, so I, um, had an active license in North Carolina. I currently have one in Minnesota and Alaska that's current, and then I'm in the process of getting one in both Ohio and Las Vegas. Um, and the different things that I'm noticing are differences in How much supervision is required, the differences in continuing education credits, and not necessarily the education aspect of it, but there's just— there's differences. And then, of course, the cost of licensure in each of these states is different as well.

And so kind of bringing that lens of equitability to here, that is our flair.

Go ahead, Senator Giesel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm interested in your experience in clinical practice here. I'm looking at what appears to be your current— what is your current employment situation? Where are you working right now?

Currently I work at Headlight Health as a teletherapist. I provide services for only individuals within the entire state of Alaska. I don't know where Headlight Health is. Where is it located?

Uh, Headlight Health, the actual agency, is out of California. Um, they are servicing 8 different states. Uh, within the state of Alaska, we have 2 physical locations, one in Wasilla, one in Anchorage, where we offer in-person, um, telehealth and Spravato services. Um, and then, like I said, we do work with almost every insurance company up here, including all of the tri-states— or not the tri-states, I'm sorry, but the military insurances as well. Yeah, TRICARE.

Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, uh, Senator Giesel. Senator Tobin. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, and thank you, Miss Vallani for seeking out service on this very critical and important board. I have a similar question to Senator Giesel as I'm again looking at your resume and I noticed that your experience within the psychotherapy and clinical work is all remote and so I'm curious to hear your perspective on the relationship to living in a community and understanding the the relationship with the citizens.

I see here also that you talk about culturally responsive practices, and so I'd like to just hear about that dynamic of doing remote work in very remote and rural communities with Indigenous populations and how that work happens in a telehealth space versus in an in-person practice and your ability to kind of see the dynamics with having much of your experience just being in telehealth?

Absolutely. And honestly, thank you so much for that question. Being able to be culturally responsive within a telehealth practice is something I've actually talked with a lot of individuals about because it is tricky. I think that within my own individual practice, the thing that I do is I never go into a session or I never go into meeting a client to where I think I know more than than they do about anything. The majority of my practice is learning the client and knowing where they're at and learning what their own practices are and then supplementing what they have or what they don't have with my own experience.

I think that one of the things that is tricky, particularly within telehealth, is that I am not on the ground floor walking with these individuals. However, by being able to ask those questions to clarify and approaching each individual with that curiosity I do feel like I give these individuals the ability to see that I am meeting them where they are at. The addition to teleservices is that nobody has to drive into the office. I'm not asking anyone to change their schedule. I'm not asking for someone to make arrangements for their kids or to leave work.

I can meet them on their lunch break. I can meet them in their car if they need to step out of the office. It's very accommodating so that I'm not intruding in someone's life. Somebody's life, but like I said before, I'm just supplementing what they already have. Um, and I've taken this practice because I actually decided to go into teletherapy after working for almost a decade in child protection, where I was on the ground floor going in and out of people's homes all the time.

Um, so I take that practice of being in somebody's private space, and I do apply that to my own practice with teleservices. Senator, Senator Tobin. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Ms. Solani. That's very helpful to hear how your previous work informs your work in teletherapy. I also see here that you talk about multidisciplinary collaboration, and I'm again curious to hear your perspective as the social workers here in Alaska do much to build relationships and collaboration with other clinicians and other providers and other resources and supports.

And of course, again, being a very rural, remote state, it is often necessary that you live in those communities to know what is available, what are the connections and multidisciplinary resources that are optional in those areas. So I'd be curious to understand your perspective on how you do that multidisciplinary work when you engage in remote service providing.

[Speaker:KATHRYN] Yes, absolutely. So, this has been particularly tricky. I won't sugarcoat that at all. One of the ways that I have found the most influential is that when there are larger conferences, like just recently last year there was the Biannual Social Work Conference in Anchorage. I definitely took it upon myself to go out and reach out and seek out individuals who were in those rural communities.

To form that face-to-face connection and actually have maintained a lot of those via email or phone since that conference. Within Headlight itself, we have clinicians all over the state. We have a clinician who is just, I don't know, probably about 80 miles outside of Nome, and so she's very influential on making sure that who, what, and where up there. We have a clinician down in Sitka. Again, similar situation.

And the gaps where we don't necessarily have a clinician with our individual agency, we spend a lot of time actually reaching out. I will email places. I will talk to them about their admission process, their intake questions. I will offer my own services as far as, you know, being a virtual body double for some clients who just need somebody there as an advocate when they do go into some of these more appointments. We have also been doing— we as in Headlight— have also been doing a lot of resourcing as far as making sure that we can get our name out with different festivals and different groups and different things like that so that I am— that we are getting our faces out.

I'm not going to lie, it is tricky to try to have as strong of connections as you would have in person. But I do feel that even in person, there are still some limitations. So I mean, I'm definitely doing what I can in order to do that, and any sort of outreach or communication or referral services is definitely followed by a warm handoff and follow-up to make sure that everything went okay to solidify those connections ongoing. Thank you. So it says here, Ms. Villani, you're calling from Houston.

I assume that's Houston, Alaska. And if so, uh, is that where you're living now? Yes, correct. Very good. Um, so I had a question.

You said that you are— let's see here— you are certified, or you held certification in North Carolina, Minnesota, Alaska, and you're seeking it in Ohio and Nevada as well, although it looks like you're non-practicing in North Carolina now. Does that mean— do you anticipate doing a lot of telemedicine then into Ohio and into Nevada and into Minnesota in the coming years?

I hope so. And I hope so not in an effort to leave Alaska by any means, but I hope so in an effort of understanding that a lot of people who live here do snowbird or do have families who live in other places. I kind of spread out my licensure along the lines of being able to have that continuity of care for clients who do not just stay solely in Alaska. I considered Hawaii. It's on my consideration board still, but financially it makes sense to start with the ones that I have at this point in time.

Very good. I also often consider Hawaii. Um, [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Any further questions? That's right. For, uh, uh, well, thank you, Ms.

Villani. I don't see any further questions, and, um, of course, uh, folks can follow up via email. Um, we won't have the actual confirmation hearing until probably sometime in the vote, rather, sometime in May. Not the hearing, but the, the actual on-the-floor session. Okay, so moving on, we will go to Ms.

Jillian Garrity. Jillian Garrity, also board of— I'm sorry, this is the Board of Professional Counselors. Um, Ms. Garrity, could you please state your name for the record and begin your testimony?

Hello, through the chair, members of the board, my name is Jillian Garrity, um, and thank you for the opportunity to I am seeking confirmation to serve on the board of the Licensed Professional Counselors for the State of Alaska. I've lived in Alaska for roughly 42 years with a short stint of 10 years outside of Alaska where I served in the military and then served as a military spouse. I returned to Alaska in 1995. I have a master's degree in mental health counseling. However, prior to obtaining the degree, I worked for the municipality for— of Anchorage for a little— right around 25, 24 years, mainly in the planning and zoning realm.

I have experience working with various boards and committees while working at the municipality of Anchorage, mainly in the planning and zoning realm. I did start working within the field in 2019. I became licensed a little over 3 years ago. I have experience working with serious mental illness. As you'll note on the resume, I worked for Department of Corrections for a little over a year.

I am currently serving at a local hospital doing risk assessments in the emergency room, and I work with individuals that are having, you know, various mental health crisis as well as some that come in under the influence of alcohol or drugs. I also have experience working with the military up at Wainwright for about 2 and a half years, where I went up there for a couple years working with the military, and in residential care down in Anchorage. I also do have a private practice locally in Anchorage. I have an office physical office in Anchorage, and I offer both in-person and, uh, in-person and telehealth if individuals want, would like to have telehealth. I prefer in-person personally.

I like the connection that you can get with that way. Um, I want to serve on the board because I want to give back to the public in my profession. I also enjoy serving in public areas. As you can see, I have a lot of experience working with the public. And, and with that said, let's see, do you have any questions of me?

Thank you, Miss Garrity. I see that you not only served in the Army as a medic but also for AFIS, an organization I'm quite familiar I'm familiar with, so thank you for providing the soldiers their lickies and chewies, as they say. Thank you for that. Oh yeah. So I actually am sort of curious, what, obviously you had this sort of large change in your career trajectory.

What motivated you to sort of start this second career?

Well, I enjoy working with people, and frankly, I often say, found myself mediating and helping in the public realm, but I do see a need in the mental health field. I originally was going to be nursing, but I, I couldn't at the time, I couldn't take the time to, to do all of the practicum stuff that's required because I was a mother. But after looking at it and talking to various people, I found I think I found what I really like to do, which is help people. I often find myself advocating for people and doing case management as well, and, and I go above and beyond with my clients, also providing psychotherapy as well. Very good.

Well, thank you, Ms. Garrity. I don't see any other questions. Thank you very much for your time. We're going to move We're going to move on now to Mr. Norman Walker seeking confirmation to the State Medical Board. Dr. Walker, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

Yeah, my name is Norman Lee Walker. I go by Lee. I've been a physician assistant for 27 years in multiple states. Alaska— this is actually my third time living in Alaska.

As a kid in Anchorage and then again as an adult, I worked for ConocoPhillips up on the North Slope as a physician assistant and then went down south, got some additional experience, and then for the last 2 years I've been working in Southeast Alaska, first in Gougeon for a year and Wrangell for a year, and I'm actually currently just, uh, doing locums and interviewing for a full-time job, trying to decide where exactly in Alaska I want to, um, hang my hat permanently and full-time.

I had several people tell me that they've had a hard time staffing the medical board and that there was a PA position open and they recommended I apply for it. I applied. I feel that it's— I'm at a juncture where I have the experience and time to be able to contribute, and it's vital that there's adequate staffing of the Medical Board for license issuing as well as addressing any infractions or problems that arise. And so I applied and was appointed. That's about all I got.

Very good. Any questions? Senator Tobin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. Walker. I'm curious, are you a member of the Alaska Academy of Physician Assistants?

No, I am not. Uh, follow-up? Uh, well, and I'd be curious, um, Mr. Walker, uh, are you familiar with that particular organization which represents, uh, almost majority of all physician assistants and are incredibly passionate about their single representation, uh, on the, the State Medical Board? I'm curious why you're not a member and to hear a little bit about your work with that particular group or your engagement, as again, they represent a significant majority of the physician assistants in the state. Well, I've been members of the organizations in other states in the past, and some good and some bad experiences with that.

I have connected with the state organization, had a meeting with them and talk to them, and I have a good rapport with them. Um, honestly, actually, one of the reasons why, um, they told me that they liked my application was I didn't have any particular affiliations and leans on things, that my, um, perspective would be maybe more objective. I don't know. Um, at this point, I Like I said, I've been a PA for 27 years. I have been members of different AA/PA organizations, and I am a member of the national AA/PA organization.

And in Alaska, I, you know, I've only been back a couple years and really kind of isolated out in rural Southeast Alaska. And haven't made a lot of connections with the PA community in that aspect. I've worked with different PAs in Southeast. I have done some courses and things with those in Anchorage, but just really have not focused on joining the organization that has, has an agenda at this time.

Senator Tobin. Thank you. Thank you for the follow-up, Mr. Chairman. Well, that, that's interesting to hear, Mr. Walker, as there has been quite a tumultuous relationship with the State Medical Board and our physician assistants over the last few years. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your input or insight into the regulatory updates that the State Medical Board has been pursuing for the last 4 years for reducing administrative burden on physician assistants and talk a little bit more about how you plan to engage with the community outside of the area in which you live as the— as again, you're the only physician assistant on the State Medical Board and there are many considerations and concerns facing physician assistants over the last 4 years and the State Medical Board towards regulatory process?

Yeah, I, well, again, this is, none of this or what they're seeking here is new to me. I was actually on the Montana Physician Assistant Association when they were putting forth regulatory changes in the state of Montana to get get rid of some of the regulatory burdens. And so I'm quite familiar with the process. And the phone call I had, I had it with most of the people at the Alaska organization, and they briefed me on their position, what they think. And the truth is, I'm in line with— in alignment almost 100%.

With what they're seeking and what they want to do. There's been a big change in the whole field, especially with advanced practice practitioners such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. And so this is a national concern and movement, really. And Alaska is right along the same lines as all the other ones that I've I've been involved with and talked to. So the, um, the state organization actually was ecstatic after talking to me and told me that they're so happy that I'm on the board.

And, um, with my experience in other states as well as the state, as well as previous legislative involvement in Montana And so they seem very happy to have me appointed to the board and have somebody else that may not have the same contentions that some others have had. All right, I don't see any further questions. Thank you, Mr. Walker, for your time.

Let's see. I think we can turn that Teams off. We'll go now to— let's see here. We'll go down to Ms. Sarah Rasmussen, former representative Rasmussen. Please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.

This is for the Board of Pharmacy. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Dunbar and members of the committee for the opportunity committee to appear remotely before you today. For the record, my name is Sarah Rasmussen, and I have served the last 3 years as the public member of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy. I appreciate the committee's time and consideration regarding my reappointment.

As the public member of the board, I've brought a policy-focused perspective informed by my legislative experience, allowing me to consider the board's work through the lens of the statutory intent, public interest, and effective governance rather than the clinical practice. Um, during my tenure on the board, we have focused on ensuring that Alaska's pharmacy laws and regulations continue to protect public health while also supporting patient access in a modern, sustainable pharmacy workforce. A key part of that effort has been, um, some of the work we're doing with the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee, uh, where we have recently approved a letter submission to the governor to classify kratom as a controlled substance. And I would like to thank Senator Clayman for his work on the alignment of administrative functions of the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee, aligning with the chair's role, which is currently held by the Board of Pharmacy designee. This will be instrumental, instrumental in supporting the board's effectiveness and continuity.

Since 2023, during my tenure, the Board of Pharmacy has weighed in on several pieces the legislation affecting pharmacy practice in Alaska. This includes legislation expanding collaborative practice agreements, advancing patient-centered care models, and supporting efforts to strengthen pharmacy workforce by lowering the minimum age for pharmacy technician licensure from 18 to 16 while maintaining appropriate safeguards and supervision. Most recently, the board has been actively engaged in discussions related to Senate Bill 147 and House Bill 195, providing technical input rooted in our regulatory experience and statutory responsibility to protect Alaskans' health and safety. I would like to thank Senator Giesel for her leadership on this legislation. It's been an honor to serve on the Board of Pharmacy, and I remain committed to transparent, collaborative work with the legislature, state departments, and the Alaskans that pharmacies serve.

Thank you for your consideration, and I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you. With questions from Senator Clayman. Thank you. I guess we don't call you Representative Rasmussen anymore, but thank you for your service on this board.

I just wanted to ask, in terms of the proposal to move the Controlled Substance Advisory Committee from Department of Law Supervision to Department of Commerce and Community— Commerce, Community, Economic Development— is that a move that you see as beneficial to the board's functioning as the pharmacy member who serves on that board? Absolutely. We work closely with the Department of Commerce in facilitating our Board of Pharmacy functions. And as the Board of Pharmacy took over as the designee for the chair of the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee, just getting the meetings in a timely fashion, you know, the minutes for the meetings and then any follow-up actions would be streamlined by bringing that over to the Department of Commerce. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Clayman. Are there any other questions? I'm not seeing any. Thank you for your testimony, Ms. Rasmussen. Excuse me.

Okay, thank you, Ms. Rasmussen. We are moving on to— we're going to go back actually to Ms. Kathleen Kathleen Rice. Dr. Rice, the Board of Examiners in Optometry. Dr. Rice, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony. Good afternoon, Chair Dunbar, members of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee.

My name is Kathleen Rice and I currently serve on the Board of Examiners in Optometry. I was first appointed in 2022 and am seeking reappointment. I want to briefly apologize for for missing my previously scheduled time and appreciate the opportunity to be here today. I've been a resident of Alaska for 20 years, including 8 years in Fairbanks and 12 in Kenai. I'm a parent of 2 high school students in our local school district, which further connects me to the health and well-being of our communities.

Professionally, I completed a residency at a Veterans Administration hospital and hold certification in corneal refractive therapy, anterior segment laser procedures, and advanced optometric surgical procedures. The cross-healthcare scope of practice continues to evolve nationwide. It's critical that these changes are implemented thoughtfully with patient safety as the top priority. The board plays an essential role by setting continuing education standards, enforcing professional and ethical requirements, and helping determine which procedures are appropriate within our state. In addition to my clinical work, I've had the opportunity to volunteer in underserved settings internationally, which has reinforced my perspective on access to care, clinical judgment, and the importance of maintaining high standards to protect patients.

Serving on the board has deepened my understanding of the regulatory oversight, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the responsibility we we have to protect the public while supporting a competent, well-trained workforce. It would be an honor to continue to serve in this role, and I respectfully ask for your consideration for reappointment. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Dr. Rice. Are there any questions?

Not seeing any. Thank you very much for your time. So I don't see, uh, Ms. Sholy from the Board of Nursing. Nor, um, Ms. Atwell from the Board of Massage Therapists. I don't believe they're here in the room either, so we will hopefully catch them at another date.

Uh, seeing no additional questions, we will now move on to public testimony. I'm going to open public testimony on all of the previous people that we've heard from. Uh, public testimony limited to 2 minutes. Public testimony is now open. Is there anyone in the room who would like to testify?

All right, uh, is there anyone online who would like to testify?

One moment. Um, brief it is.

Back on the record. I don't see anyone online for public testimony, so I'm going to close public testimony.

Seeing no— there we go. In accordance with AS 39.05 08/0, the Senate Health and Social Services Committee has reviewed and recommends the following list of appointees be forwarded to a joint session for consideration: Damian Delzer, Eliza Ellsworth, Michelle Scott-Webber, Heather Crivello, Michael Collins, Ivy Villani, Jillann Garrity, Norman Walker, Sarah Rasmussen, and Kathleen Rice. As a reminder, signing the committee report does does not reflect individual members' approval or disapproval of the nomination. Members would please stay after to sign the paperwork. The next meeting of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee will be held on Thursday, April 23rd.

During this time, we will have a third hearing on SB 281, Health Care Compacts Rural Health Program, when we will introduce a committee substitute and look to the will of the committee. Thank you, everyone, for a productive hearing. It is 4:17 PM. And this meeting is adjourned. Yeah.