Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-24.2. Immunity
(a) The director of the department of health, director of nursing registration and education, board members, and their agents and employees shall be immune from suit in any action, civil or criminal, based on any disciplinary proceeding or other official act performed in good faith in the course of their duties under this chapter. There is no civil liability on the part of, or cause of action of any nature against, the board, director, their agents, or their employees or against any organization or its members, peer-review board, or its members, or other witnesses and parties to board proceedings for any statements made in good faith by them in any reports, communications, or testimony concerning an investigation by the board of the conduct or regarding the competence of a licensed nurse.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-24.2
- Department: means the department of health. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-3
- Health: means optimum well-being. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-3
- Licensed: means the status of qualified individuals who have completed a designated process by which the board of nursing grants permission to individuals accountable and/or responsible for the practice of nursing and to engage in that practice, prohibiting all others from legally doing so. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-3
- Nursing: means the provision of services that are essential to the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health throughout the continuum of life. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-34-3
- person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
(b) No licensed healthcare provider, physician, or limited registrant may discharge, threaten, or discriminate against an employee, staff member, or any other person for making a report to, giving testimony to, or providing any other communication to the board, a peer-review organization, or any appropriate supervisory personnel concerning the unprofessional conduct or incompetence or negligence of a nurse; provided, that the report, testimony, or other communication was made in good faith.
History of Section.
P.L. 2003, ch. 125, § 3; P.L. 2003, ch. 138, § 3.