| Oregon Health Licensing Agency's Licensing Line |
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July 29, 2009
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| Randall Everitt Named OHLA Director |
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Randall Everitt, a veteran of state government with expertise in management, investigations and professional licensing, will become the director of the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) on August 3, state officials announced Tuesday.
Scott Harra, Director of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, says that Everitt is the right person at the right time to lead an agency that has experienced major changes in management over the past six months.
“Randall Everitt has established a strong record of integrity and effectiveness over a career in state government that spans more than three decades,” Harra says. “I know he will use his skills and abilities to enable all the members of the OHLA team to contribute their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve.”
Everitt comes to the position from the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), where he has logged five years of service as chief of the Special Investigations Unit. The unit investigates contraband smuggling and misconduct by inmates and staff. In that position, he has overseen management of the DOC’s 500 “high-alert” inmates.
Everitt has also served as assistant director of the training division of the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. In that job, he supervised all the academy’s training coordinators and developed curriculum for training police and corrections officers.
“My main goal as the new director of the Oregon Health Licensing Agency is to restore confidence in the agency,” Everitt says. “The public—as well as the professionals and businesses who depend on us—needs to know the agency is above reproach, and that it does its job to the highest standards. Total honesty and professionalism are the principles that will guide us, and we will never settle for less.”
In 1972, Everitt began his state government career in Idaho, where he served as an investigator in the state Department of Law Enforcement. He investigated drug crimes for the state and supervised multi-jurisdictional narcotics operations. He rose to the rank of captain, supervising training, criminal intelligence, executive protection and liaison to the Idaho legislature.
In 1988 he joined the Idaho Attorney General's Office specializing in homicide, public corruption and medical fraud. Everitt supervised a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigated medical health fraud throughout the state of Idaho and became a member of a joint state/federal task force investigating fraudulent medical devices and health care. He then worked for the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses where he provided investigative services for 15 professional licensing boards.
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| OHLA Legislation Furthers Agency Goals |
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OHLA legislation passed in the recent legislative session promotes consumer protection, ensures licensed professionals are qualified to practice through appropriate education and training, and fosters a positive business environment through regulatory streamlining initiatives.
OHLA’s legislation, House Bill 3232, continues to unify the central agency model to maximize efficiencies, overarching regulatory standards among multiple professions, and accountability to Oregon consumers and to the agency’s licensees and stakeholders.
Provisions in House Bill 3232 accomplish the following:
- Provide flexibility to determine qualifiers for professional practice through administrative rulemaking as professions continue to evolve and expand with increasing rapidity. For example, OHLA will now be better able to successfully respond to continuing advances in esthetics (skin care services) in such areas as laser treatments and emerging “body art” procedures that necessitate increased training and education.
- Strengthen consumer protection by clarifying investigation of complaints and disclosure of confidential information.
- Allow licensees flexibility in when and where they can practice by granting exemptions for special circumstances, charitable events or under a declared emergency; and to place an authorization to practice in dormant status.
- Eliminate dual oversight of audiologists and physicians by removing the requirement for these practitioners to be licensed as hearing aid specialists, as audiologists and physicians are already licensed by other state regulatory agencies.
OHLA acknowledges and thanks Representative Mitch Greenlick, Chair, House Health Care Committee; Representative Arnie Roblan, Chair, House Rules Committee; and Claudia Black, Senior Health Policy Advisor for the Governor and their staffs for their efforts on behalf of HB 3232. Their experience, expertise and knowledge greatly facilitated the legislative process.
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| OHLA Adopts Rules on Fitness, Fingerprinting |
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Recent OHLA investigations of potential fraud and misrepresentation of applicant identification pinpointed the need to adopt new Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) related to fingerprinting and background checks.
Most applicants and authorization-to-practice holders are not subject to fingerprinting. OHLA requires fingerprinting of applicants or authorization-to-practice holders only for reasonable cause.
Revised agency OARs also strengthen acceptable documentation and forms of personal identification for applicants seeking licensure to mitigate potential abuses and ensure qualified individuals are practicing on the public.
Under OAR 331-030-0005(5) (Fingerprinting, State and Nationwide Criminal Background Checks, Fitness Determinations) effective June 1, 2009, OHLA may require fingerprinting of authorization holders or applicants who are the subject of a complaint or investigation for the purpose of requesting a state or nationwide criminal records background check.
Fingerprinting may be required if the agency has reasonable cause for concern that an applicant or authorization holder has falsified information on an application for licensure or whose fitness to practice with "care and safety" on the public may be undermined by current or prior criminal activity and/or convictions.
Click here for more information at www.oregon.gov/OHLA.
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| Visit OHLA Web Site at www.oregon.gov/OHLA |
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OHLA's Web site at www.oregon.gov/OHLA offers numerous features and extensive content for licensees, consumers and other agency stakeholders.
Licensees can renew online, download applications and learn about new licensing and regulatory developments. Consumers can access public education campaign materials and other helpful resources.
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Comments, questions and suggestions on the issues we cover are appreciated. Contact OHLA Public Information Officer Kraig Bohot at kraig.bohot@state.or.us or call 503-373-1939.
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