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Board directs RFP for third‑party nurse support group and reassigns routine IEC reviews to program manager
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Summary
The board voted to direct staff to begin a request‑for‑proposal for third‑party nurse support group facilitation services (with direction to avoid placing costs on participants) and separately moved to return routine reviews of IEC recommendations to the intervention program manager while the EO will perform quarterly audits for one year.
The California Board of Registered Nursing on Nov. 19 voted to begin procuring third‑party nurse support group facilitation services and to change oversight of intervention committee recommendations: the executive officer will step back from day‑to‑day case sign‑off and the program manager will resume routine review with quarterly EO audits.
RFP for nurse support groups: The Enforcement, Intervention and Investigations Committee recommended staff pursue an RFP to design and implement a uniform nurse‑support group facilitator program with an emphasis on minimizing participant costs. Committee Chair Tricia Wynne said the committee wanted assurance that “putting more costs on nurses in this program is the wrong direction,” and the board approved the motion unanimously. EO Loretta Melby said the board will not pre‑select a vendor and that procurement will follow state contracting rules; staff will solicit input from current NSG facilitators while drafting the RFP.
Intervention oversight and reassignment of reviews: EO Melby told the board she had stepped into detailed review of IEC recommendations after an August 2024 directive to ensure consistent practice, but after training IEC open sessions and building capacity she recommended returning routine review authority to the intervention program manager and using quarterly EO audits for transparency. The board approved a motion to reassign the review function back to the program manager with quarterly audits for one year.
Why it matters: The changes are aimed at clarifying lines of responsibility and reducing single‑person workload bottlenecks in the intervention program, while also building an independent, vetted support service for participants. Melby described training she conducted with IECs and said the program manager and vendor are now positioned to handle routine recommendation reviews.
Direct quotes and public comment: Tricia Wynne, who moved the RFP recommendation, told the board the committee wants to protect participants from added costs; Loretta Melby said, “I am at a point where I can recommend that I step back completely” from routine IEC reviews. There was no public opposition recorded during the votes.
Next steps: Staff will develop the RFP with vendor‑neutral language, solicit facilitator feedback and return procurement timelines to the board. The program manager will resume review of IEC recommendations; Melby will report audit results quarterly to the board.
