SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 24
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Whereas, the lack of health care availability in the State of Missouri in unserved or under served areas compromises individual and state solvency, including depleting limited Medicaid resources; and
Whereas, the State of Missouri recognizes that naturopathic doctors comprise a distinct health care profession that affects the public health, safety, and welfare and increases freedom of choice in qualified health care; and
Whereas, significant cost savings to the State of Missouri will result from implementing a system of primary health care for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human health conditions, injury, and disease, the promotion or restoration of health, and the support and stimulation of a patient's inherent self-healing processes through patient education and the use of natural therapies and therapeutic substances; and
Whereas, consistent with education and training, physical and laboratory examinations, diagnostic and image testing, dispensing, administering, and prescribing prescription drugs and medical devices are necessary elements to the provision of quality health care; and
Whereas, it is a matter of public interest and concern that naturopathic physicians and the practice of naturopathic medicine merit and receive the confidence of the public, that only qualified persons be authorized to practice naturopathic medicine in the State of Missouri, and that no person practices naturopathic medicine as a naturopathic doctor, naturopathic physician, or naturopath without a valid existing license to do so; and
Whereas, the practice of naturopathic medicine in the State of Missouri affects the public, safety, and welfare and, in the public interest, needs to be regulated and controlled:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby request that the Governor establish the "Board of Naturopathic Medical Examiners" to determine the scope of the practice of naturopathic physicians for the purpose of performing physical and laboratory examinations consistent with naturopathic education and training and for diagnostic purposes, including but not limited to phlebotomy, clinical laboratory tests, orificial examinations, and physiological function tests; and
Be it further resolved that the board shall be comprised of five members, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Four members of the board shall be licensed doctors of naturopathic medicine or naturopathic physicians who are in good standing in the State of Missouri and one member shall be a resident of Missouri who is not nor has ever been a licensed health care practitioner and who does not have an interest in naturopathic education, business, or practice. The four doctors of naturopathic medicine comprising the initial board shall hold a current naturopathic license from another state in addition to meeting all criteria previously specified. The board may adopt such rules as are necessary to implement the purposes of the board and may recommend disciplinary action; and
Be it further resolved that only a person who has received a doctor of naturopathy from a naturopathic medical education program in the United States or Canada that is:
(1) Accredited or has achieved candidacy status for accreditation by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, or an equivalent federally-recognized accrediting body for the naturopathic medical profession, shall hold a license to practice and hold himself or herself out to be a naturopathic physician or use any naturopathic professional designation as designated by the board. Such medical education program shall offer graduate-level full-time didactic and supervised clinical training leading to a degree of Doctor of Naturopathy or Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. Additionally, the program shall be an institution or part of an institution of higher education that is accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a regional institutional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education; or
(2) A degree-granting college or university that, prior to the existence of the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, offered a full-time structured curriculum in basic sciences and supervised patient care comprising a doctoral naturopathic medical education. Such course, as a prerequisite for graduation, shall not be less than 132 weeks in duration and shall require completion within a period of not less than 35 months. Such college of naturopathic medicine shall be reputable and in good standing in the judgment of the board; and
Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for Governor Matt Blunt.