° making, amending and rescinding the necessary orders, rules and regulations to carry out the response to a public health disaster emergency;

° suspending the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business, including the orders, rules or regulations of any state agency if strict compliance with any of these provisions would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency;

° transferring the direction, personnel, or functions of state departments and agencies or units for performing or facilitating emergency services; and

° using any and all available resources of state government and of each political subdivision of our State as reasonably necessary to cope with the public health disaster emergency; and

1. Temporary Licensing of Health Care Workers Extended

As provided by Executive Orders 20-13, -19, -21, -33 & -45, any individual in the below categories may apply for an initial temporary health care license if he or she is not currently licensed to practice in the state, either because his or her Indiana license is no longer active or they are licensed by another state to provide health care services during this public health emergency.

Individuals who have been granted a temporary license may be granted up to an additional 90-day authorization to continue to provide health care services during this public health emergency.

All application procedures for reinstatement or approval will be reinstituted and must be followed upon expiration of these temporary licenses or the lifting of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This 90-day extension applies to the following health care workers:

a. Retired Health Care Professionals: Any health care professional whether licensed in the state or not, who within the past five years has retired or surrendered his or her license or whose license is otherwise inactive but whose license was not revoked, suspended or relinquished.

b. Physician Assistant Students: Physician assistant students who have successfully completed all required course work at an accredited school, have applied for a license with the Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) and supplied the PLA a certificate of completion.

c. Nursing Students: Nursing students who have successfully completed all required course work at an accredited school, have applied for a license with the PLA and have supplied PLA a certificate of completion.

d. Respiratory Care Practitioner Students: Respiratory care practitioner students who have successfully completed all required course work at an approved school, have applied for a license with the Professional Licensing Agency and supplied PLA a certificate of completion.

e. Out-of-State Health Care Professionals: Individuals who are currently licensed by another state and who were previously authorized to provide health care services in Indiana pursuant to Executive Order 20-05 [20200401-IR-GOV200191EOA].

f. Graduate Pharmacists: Pharmacy students who have successfully completed all required course work at an accredited school, have applied for licensure with the PLA, and have supplied PLA a certificate of completion.

2. Registration Requirement for Certain Indiana or Out-of-State Health Care Providers

Health Care Professionals, except Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, who are granted a temporary license to provide health care services in the state in response to this public health emergency must register with the PLA via their website at www.in.gov/pla.

EMS personnel who are granted a temporary license to provide health care services in the state in response to this public health emergency must register with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

3. COVID-19 Vaccinations

a. Federal Authority: The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex M. Azar, issued a Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) Declaration for medical countermeasures against COVID-19. Vaccines, approved by an Emergency Use Authorization by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to fight COVID-19 are medical countermeasures under the PREP Act. As Governor, I am an "authority having jurisdiction" and as such, can authorize, to the extent allowed, individuals to administer medical countermeasures in response to a public health emergency under the PREP Act within the state.

b. PREP Act Coverage: Under my authority under the PREP Act, the following professionals are to be considered "covered persons" when administering the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines:

i) physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, pharmacist interns (including students) who are acting under the direct supervision of a pharmacist or other authorized health care provider, pharmacy technicians who are acting under the direct supervision of a pharmacist, medical students while performing duties as an intern or a resident under the supervision of the staff of a hospital or in a program approved by a medical school, and nursing students under the supervision of their preceptor, as determined by the nursing school;

ii) paramedics and advanced emergency medical technicians (AEMTs) who are authorized by the EMS Commission to administer intramuscular vaccinations when their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provider agency is operating and offering a COVID-19 vaccination administration site at a location specified by the local public health agency or by the Indiana State Department of Health, and as to basic EMTs (EMTs), I suspend the relevant provision in Ind. Code § 16-18-2-33.5(b) which prohibits the performance of invasive medical care techniques by EMTs for the limited purpose of allowing EMTs, if authorized by the Indiana EMS Commission under its authority in Ind. Code § 16-18-2-33.5(a)(11), to administer the COVID-19 vaccination when their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provider agency is operating and offering a COVID-19 vaccination administration site at a location specified by the local public health agency or by the Indiana State Department of Health;

iii) members of the Indiana National Guard who have been trained to administer intramuscular vaccinations at a location specified by the local public health agency or by the Indiana State Department of Health; and

iv) medical assistants when authorized by an employing physician to administer the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine and when performed at the direction and under the supervision of the employing physician or group of physicians;

v) as to medical assistants employed by a licensed health care facility, I suspend the relevant provisions of Ind. Code § 25-22.5-1-2(a)(2) for the limited purpose of allowing medical assistants employed by such a facility and who have been trained to administer an intramuscular vaccine to administer the FDA-approved COVID 19 vaccine if performed at the direction and under the supervision of a physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse.

4. Vaccination/Immunization Information

The relevant provisions in Ind. Code § 16-38-5-3 regarding immunization information received by ISDH is suspended to the extent necessary to allow COVID-19 vaccination information to be submitted to the Indiana Network for Patient Care.

5. DWD Contract Employees

If authorized and permitted by federal law, the relevant provisions of Ind. Code §§ 4-15-2.2-12(a)(4) and -21(a)(1) pertaining to the classification and retention of employees working in Unemployment Insurance shall be suspended, for the limited purpose of allowing the Department of Workforce Development, in conjunction with the State Personnel Department, to expedite hiring, training and employment of temporary staff to adjudicate and hear appeals of Unemployment Insurance claims.

DIN: 20201230-IR-GOV200635EOA

Composed: May 26,2024 6:55:09PM EDT

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