NH lawmakers want drug tests for hospital workers

Legislators are holding a hearing Tuesday to gather public input on a bill requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to perform random tests four times per year on certain health care workers at hospitals and other facilities.

The bill's sponsor, Tim Copeland of Stratham, is pushing additional legislation to create a registry of medical technicians in the state. The House will also vote this week on whether to expand reporting requirements for adverse events at hospitals to include transmission of blood-borne pathogens and other unsafe acts.