With the goal of enhancing the protection and promotion of public health and in accordance with the rulemaking authority under D.C. Official Code § 3-1203.02(12), the Director has promulgated rules requiring licensed health professionals to complete at least ten percent (10%) of the their required total continuing education in the public health priorities of the District as determined and published every five (5) years or less frequently as deemed appropriate. The following topics have been identified as key public health priorities:

1. Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management;

2. Nutrition and obesity prevention;

3. Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence;

4. Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control);

5. Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth);

6. Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products);

7. Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency;

8. Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act);

9. Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions); and,

10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care.

Each health professional licensing board shall disseminate the identified subjects to its licensees via electronic communication and through publication on its web page. Since the goal of this list is to engage and educate health professionals in the promotion and protection of public health, it is intended to be liberally interpreted by each health professional licensing board with regulatory authority over each license type.