S.B. No. 166 Summary

• Prohibits unlawful sexual contact between licensed health care professionals and patients, establishing new criminal penalties under Ohio law

• Defines "licensed health care professional" to include dentists, nurses, optometrists, physician assistants, physicians, psychologists, chiropractors, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, occupational and physical therapists, athletic trainers, and social workers

• Establishes automatic license suspension for health care professionals convicted of or pleading guilty to specified violent felonies including aggravated murder, rape, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, and aggravated assault

• Creates new sections 4725.241 and 4753.102 to implement automatic suspension provisions for optometrists and speech-language pathologists/audiologists respectively

• Requires prosecutors to notify licensing boards when health care professionals are indicted or charged with sexual misconduct offenses, and requires courts to transmit conviction notices to relevant licensing authorities