BOR/GHA Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of Understanding Between the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the GHA: An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
This is a Memorandum of Understanding on the part of the GHA: An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems by and on behalf of its members (a list of which is attached hereto and hereby incorporated by referenced as Exhibit "A") (hereinafter referred to respectively as the "Association" and the "Facility") and The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia by and on behalf of its institutions (a list of which is attached hereto and hereby incorporated by reference as Exhibit "B") (hereinafter referred to respectively as the "Regents" and the "Institution"). The Facility and Institution shall be hereinafter jointly referred to as the "parties".
- PURPOSE:
- The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to guide and direct the
parties respecting their affiliation and working relationship, inclusive of
anticipated future arrangements and agreements in furtherance thereof, to provide
high quality applied learning experiences for the Institution's students.
- Neither party intends for this Memorandum to alter in any way their respective legal rights or their legal obligations to one another, to the students and faculty assigned to the Facility, or as to any third party. However, the understandings contained herein may be incorporated into and made a part of a subsequent agreement executed between the respective Institution and Facility in a form substantially similar to that which is attached hereto and hereby incorporated by reference as "Exhibit C (hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement").
- The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to guide and direct the
parties respecting their affiliation and working relationship, inclusive of
anticipated future arrangements and agreements in furtherance thereof, to provide
high quality applied learning experiences for the Institution's students.
- GENERAL UNDERSTANDING:
- The applied learning experience (hereinafter referred as the "A.L.E.") will be of
such content, and cover such periods of time as may from time to time be
mutually agreed upon by the Institution and the Facility. The starting and ending
date for each A.L.E. shall be agreed upon at least one month before the A.L.E.
commences. A.L.E. implementation at the Facility shall be subject to final
approval by the Facility.
- The number of students designated for participation in the A.L.E. will be mutually
determined by agreement of the parties, and may at any time be altered by mutual
agreement. All student participants must be acceptable to both parties. Either the
Facility or the Institution may withdraw any student from an A.L.E. at the Facility
based upon a lack of competency on the part of the student, the student's failure to
comply with the rules and policies of the Facility, or, for any other reason where
either party reasonably believes that it is not in their best interest for the student to
continue. Such party shall provide the other party and the student with immediate
notice of the withdrawal and written reasons for the withdrawal.
- There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, creed, sex, age, disability or veteran's status in either the selection of students for participation in the A.L.E., or as to any aspect of the A.L.E.; provided however, that with respect to disability, the disability must not be such as would, even with reasonable accommodation, in and of itself, preclude the student's effective participation in the A.L.E.
- The applied learning experience (hereinafter referred as the "A.L.E.") will be of
such content, and cover such periods of time as may from time to time be
mutually agreed upon by the Institution and the Facility. The starting and ending
date for each A.L.E. shall be agreed upon at least one month before the A.L.E.
commences. A.L.E. implementation at the Facility shall be subject to final
approval by the Facility.
- FACILITY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- The Facility will retain responsibility for the care of its clients and patients and
will maintain supervision of students insofar as their presence and A.L.E.
assignments affect the operation of the Facility and its care, direct and indirect, of
its clients and patients. No provision of this Relationship shall prevent any
Facility client or patient from requesting not to be a teaching client or patient or
prevent any member of the Facility medical staff from designating any client or
patient as a non-teaching client or patient.
- The Facility will provide adequate facilities for participating students in
accordance with the A.L.E. program objectives and plan developed through
cooperative planning by the Institution's departmental faculty and the Facility's
staff. The Facility will use its best efforts to make conference space and
classrooms available as may be necessary for teaching and planning activities in
connection with the A.L.E. However, specific classroom, conference space and
facility requirements may be set forth in the Agreement.
- Facility staff shall upon request, assist the Institution in the evaluation of the
learning and performance of participating students, provided the student has
signed a consent to exchange of educational information in accordance with the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. However, the
Facility hereby agrees to keep confidential any student records or information it
may obtain, unless it has otherwise obtained prior written consent of the student.
Although the Institution shall obtain all required consents, the Facility shall have
the right to rely on such consents and to obtain copies of such consents upon
request. The Facility will assign a staff representative as liaison between the
Facility and the Institution. The Facility staff representative may be designated in
the Agreement. Unless otherwise specified in the Agreement, any evaluation of
students by the Facility shall relate only to general student participation in the
A.L.E., and shall in no way be construed as a certification by the Facility as to the
competence of any student or a representation by the Facility of any student's
ability or competence in connection with the practical implementation of any
knowledge gained through the A.L.E.
- The Facility shall provide for the orientation of both Institution faculty and
participating students as to the philosophies, rules, regulations and policies of the
Facility.
- Subject to the Facility's overall supervisory responsibility for patient care,
appropriately licensed Institution faculty members may provide such patient
services at the Facility as may be necessary for teaching purposes. The nature and
scope of activities of Institution faculty members that may involve in any way
patient care at the Facility shall be subject to the sole discretion of the Facility and
to such conditions as the Facility may deem necessary in its sole discretion
including, but not limited to, prior proof of professional liability coverage,
appropriate licensure or certification, and compliance with all Facility rules,
regulations, and policies. If faculty participation at the Facility other than as a
Supervisor for the purpose of this A.L.E. is so authorized, it must not be a
substitute for adequate staffing at the Facility.
- All medical or health care (emergency or otherwise) that an Institution student or faculty member receives at the Facility will be at the expense of the individual involved.
- The Facility will retain responsibility for the care of its clients and patients and
will maintain supervision of students insofar as their presence and A.L.E.
assignments affect the operation of the Facility and its care, direct and indirect, of
its clients and patients. No provision of this Relationship shall prevent any
Facility client or patient from requesting not to be a teaching client or patient or
prevent any member of the Facility medical staff from designating any client or
patient as a non-teaching client or patient.
- INSTITUTION RESPONSIBILITIES:
- The Institution will use its best efforts to select students for participation in the
A.L.E. who are prepared for effective participation in the training phase of their
overall education. The Institution will retain ultimate responsibility for the
education of its students.
- Prior to the commencement of the A.L.E., the Institution will, upon request and
with proper authorization, provide responsible Facility officials with such student
records as will adequately disclose the prior education and related experiences of
prospective student participants.
- The Institution will use its best efforts to see that the A.L.E.s at the Facility are
conducted in such a manner as to enhance the resources available to the Facility
for the providing of care to its clients and patients. Only those students who have
satisfactorily completed the prerequisite courses of their curriculum will be
selected for participation in an A.L.E., as specified in the curriculum course
descriptions.
- The Institution will not assign any faculty member to the Facility in connection
with the operation of the A.L.E. who is not appropriately licensed or certified, and
will make evidence of the licensure or certification of all its assigned faculty
available to the Facility upon request. It is agreed that all Institution faculty are
employees of the Institution, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.
- The Institution will inform all its participating students of the Facility's
requirement that they must procure and maintain throughout the A.L.E.
professional liability insurance in amounts, form, and by a carrier satisfactory to
the Facility and the Institution, and covering their activities at the Facility, and to
provide evidence of such insurance to the Facility prior to participation in any
A.L.E. Institution faculty members will be provided professional liability
coverage pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Georgia Tort Claims Act
(O.C.G.A. ¤50-21-20 et seq.). The Institution will provide Worker's
Compensation Insurance coverage for its participating faculty members. However,
the Institution will not provide Worker's Compensation Insurance or other
insurance coverage for its students. This paragraph will survive the termination of
this MOU.
- If required by the Facility, the institution will inform participating students and/or
faculty members of the Facility's requirement that the participating students
and/or faculty member authorizes or consents to a criminal background check.
- The Institution will encourage participating student and faculty compliance with
the Facility's rules, regulations and procedures, and use its best efforts to keep
students and faculty informed as to the same and any changes therein.
Specifically, the Institution will keep each participating student and faculty
member apprised of his or her responsibilities, including but not limited to the
following:
- To follow the administrative policies, standards and practices of the
Facility when in the Facility.
- To report to the Facility on time and to follow all established regulations
of the Facility.
- To keep in confidence all medical, health, financial and social (including
mental health) information pertaining to particular clients or patients.
- To not publish any material related to the A.L.E. that identifies or uses the
name of the Institution, the Board of Regents of the University System of
Georgia, the GHA: An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the
Facility or its members, clients, students, faculty or staff, directly or
indirectly, unless prior written permission is received from the Institution,
the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the GHA: An
Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and the Facility. However,
the Facility hereby grants to the Institution the right to publish Institution
administrative materials such as catalogs, course syllabi, A.L.E. reports,
etc. that identify or uses the name of the GHA: An Association of
Hospitals and Health Systems, the Facility or its members, staff, directly
or indirectly.
- To comply with all federal, state and local laws regarding the use,
possession, manufacture or distribution of alcohol and controlled
substances.
- To follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) Universal
Precautions for Bloodborne Pathogens, C.D.C. Guidelines for
Tuberculosis Infection Control, and Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (O.S.H.A.) Respiratory Protection Standard.
- To arrange for and be solely responsible for living accommodations while
at the Facility.
- To conform to established standards and practices while training at the
Facility.
- To provide the necessary and appropriate uniforms and supplies required
where not provided by the Facility.
- To wear a name tag that clearly identifies him/her as a student or faculty
member.
- To sign a written agreement obligating the student or faculty member to observe all rules and policies established by the Facility, to maintain the confidentiality of patient information, and to refrain from publishing any material related to the A.L.E. that identifies or uses of the name of the Board of Regents, the Institution, the GHA: An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems or the Facility, directly or indirectly, or uses the name of the Facility, without first obtaining written approval. Subject to the right to publish set forth in section d above.
- To follow the administrative policies, standards and practices of the
Facility when in the Facility.
- The Institution will require all student participants at the time of enrollment in the
A.L.E., and as necessary and appropriate during the period of participation, to
undergo a health examination, as will be necessary to determine that they are free
from any infectious or contagious diseases, and are able to perform their activities
in the A.L.E. in order to ensure that students do not pose a direct threat to the
health or safety of others, which may include TB, PPD test or chest x-ray,
hepatitis-B core antibody test, and Rubella, measles and mumps tests or
documentation of immunization. At the option of the Facility, such health
examinations may be performed by the Facility, at the sole expense of the student
participants. Any medical or health care (emergency or otherwise) that may be
received by an Institution student or faculty member at the Facility in the course
of the A.L.E. shall be at the sole expense of the individual recipient of such care;
provided that nothing herein shall require the Facility to provide any such care.
Any student or faculty participant who does not meet the health criteria
established by the Facility will not be assigned to the Facility or allowed to
continue to participate in the A.L.E. at the Facility. The Facility has the right, at
any time, to request health status reports on student and faculty participants, to the
extent allowed by applicable law. Moreover, if the student and/or faculty member
has an exposure to blood or body substances, if there is an injury to the student
and/or faculty member or if there is an infectious disease outbreak, the Institution
agrees, to the extent allowed by law, to send the student's and/or faculty member's
health records within two (2) business days of the receipt of a written request by
the Facility for such health records.
- The Institution shall have the full responsibility for the conduct of any student or
faculty disciplinary proceedings and shall conduct the same in accordance with all
applicable statutes, rules, regulations and case law.
- The Institution will assign faculty/staff representative(s) as liaison(s) between the Facility and the Institution. The Institution faculty/staff representative(s) will be designated in the Agreement.
- The Institution will use its best efforts to select students for participation in the
A.L.E. who are prepared for effective participation in the training phase of their
overall education. The Institution will retain ultimate responsibility for the
education of its students.
- MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- The parties will work together to maintain an environment of quality learning
experiences for the Institution's student(s), while at the same time enhancing the
resources available to the Facility for the providing of care to its clients and
patients. At the request of either party, a meeting or conference will be held
between Institution and Facility representatives to resolve any problems or
develop any improvements in the operation of the A.L.E.
- This working relationship and affiliation shall be reviewed annually by the
parties. This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended at any time by
mutual written agreement of the parties. It may also be canceled at any time by
either party upon not less than ninety (90) days written notice to the other party,
but any students currently in an A.L.E. may complete that A.L.E.
- The Institution and the Facility acknowledge and agree that neither party shall be
responsible for any loss, injury or other damage to the person or property of any
student or faculty member participating in the A.L.E. unless such loss, injury or
damage results from the negligence or wilful conduct of that party, its agents,
officers or employees.
- This relationship is intended solely for the mutual benefit of the parties hereto,
and there is no intention, express or otherwise, to create any rights or interests for
any party or person other than Facility and the Institution; without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, no rights are intended to be created for any patient,
student, parent or guardian of any student, spouse, next of kin, employer or
prospective employer of any student.
- Neither party is an agent, employee or servant of the other. The Regents,
Institution, Association and the Facility acknowledge and agree that student
participants in the A.L.E. are not employees of the Regents, Institution,
Association or the Facility by reason of such participation, and that they assume
no responsibilities as to the student participants that may be imposed upon an
employer under any law, regulation or ordinance. Student participants shall in no
way hold themselves out as employees of the Regents, Institution, Association or
the Facility.
- Facility and Institution acknowledge that protection of participants in the A.L.E.
from exposure to bloodborne pathogens is the joint concern of Facility, Institution
and the participant. Facility will make available to participants for use within the
Facility all personal protective equipment, including gloves, gowns, masks, and
other supplies necessary to comply with Centers for Disease Control guidelines,
as appropriate to the participant's A.L.E. Facility shall provide participants with
education regarding bloodborne pathogens appropriate to the participant's
educational training at Facility, and, shall maintain documentation of such
education. Institution shall, to the extent allowed by law or regulation, offer to
participants at substantial risk of directly contacting body fluids, antibody and or
antigen testing and vaccination in accordance with requirements of the
Occupational Health and Safety Administration and Centers for Disease Control.
In the event of an exposure, to the extent allowed by law, the Institution will be
responsible for offering appropriate testing to the affected participant, providing
appropriate medical care and counseling, and record-keeping. Facility will use its
best efforts to appropriately test the source patient and to obtain that patient's
consent to disclosure of test results to the Institution and participant.
- This Memorandum of Understanding shall be governed by, construed and applied
in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia.
- This Memorandum of Understanding shall supersede any and all previously executed Memoranda of Understanding between the parties for applied learning experiences.
- The parties will work together to maintain an environment of quality learning
experiences for the Institution's student(s), while at the same time enhancing the
resources available to the Facility for the providing of care to its clients and
patients. At the request of either party, a meeting or conference will be held
between Institution and Facility representatives to resolve any problems or
develop any improvements in the operation of the A.L.E.
AGREED TO BY:
THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
BY AND ON BEHALF OF ITS INSTITUTIONSSigned:
_____________________________________________
Stephen R. Portch
Chancellor
Date: July 29, 1999THE GHA: AN ASSOCIATION OF HOSPITALS
AND HEALTH SYSTEMS BY AND ON BEHALF
OF ITS MEMBERSSigned:
_____________________________________________
Joseph A. Parker
President
Date: July 29, 1999