2013 -- S 0646

=======

LC01456

=======

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

____________

A N A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION

SERVICES

     Introduced By: Senators Ottiano, Jabour, and Ruggerio

     Date Introduced: March 06, 2013

     Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

1-1

     SECTION 1. Sections 23-4.1-1, 23-4.1-3, 23-4.1-8 and 23-4.1-16 of the General Laws in

1-2

Chapter 23-4.1 entitled "Emergency Medical Transportation Services" are hereby amended to

1-3

read as follows:

1-4

     23-4.1-1. Declaration of policy and purpose. -- (a) The general assembly declares that it

1-5

is the policy of the state to save lives and speed the healing of persons injured in accidents or

1-6

otherwise in need of medical service by providing an emergency care system that will bring the

1-7

injured or sick person under the care of persons properly trained to care for the injured or sick in

1-8

the shortest practical time and that will provide safe transportation for the injured or sick person

1-9

to a treatment center prepared to receive the injured person.

1-10

      (b) It is the purpose of this chapter to promote this policy by providing the means by

1-11

which the best possible first aid treatment emergency medical care can be brought to the injured

1-12

or sick person in the shortest practical time and by which the injured or sick person can be safely

1-13

transported to a medical treatment center in proper equipment that is designed to provide

1-14

supportive care for the injured or sick person and which is able to communicate with the medical

1-15

treatment center regarding the treatment of the injured or sick person.

1-16

      (c) It is the plan of this chapter to provide help for any scheme of emergency medical

1-17

service that provides trained personnel, furnishes adequate equipment, and which furnishes

1-18

emergency medical service to the public.

2-19

      (d) It is not the intent of this chapter to prevent the operation of any nonprofit ambulance

2-20

service which meets the minimum standards as provided by this chapter for the training of

2-21

ambulance personnel and for medical service equipment.

2-22

     23-4.1-3. Duties of the director. -- (a) The director of health, referred to as the

2-23

"director," shall have full authority to implement the provisions of this chapter and shall be

2-24

guided by the purposes and intent of this chapter.

2-25

      (b) The director shall cooperate with hospitals, furnishers of ambulance services, local

2-26

governments, police departments, fire departments, emergency units, first aid groups, or any other

2-27

groups that furnish or work with groups that furnish emergency medical services.

2-28

      (c) The director shall cooperate with concerned agencies and individuals to coordinate

2-29

programs for training emergency medical technicians, and other persons who provide emergency

2-30

medical care services, including dispatchers. If funds are available, the director may establish

2-31

training grants to aid groups and communities to train people in emergency medical care.

2-32

      (d) The standards used by the director under this chapter shall be reasonable and based

2-33

upon local and statewide conditions. However, the minimum standards imposed by the director

2-34

may be the standards issued by any responsible organization having its main concern the

2-35

disposition of injured persons.

2-36

      (e) The director shall annually submit a report to the governor and the general assembly.

2-37

      (f) The director shall cooperate in the coordination of ambulance services throughout the

2-38

state with local or state police and fire authorities and other concerned agencies and individuals,

2-39

including the state civil defense agency Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. This

2-40

coordination may be tested by local exercises from time to time.

2-41

      (g) The director shall cooperate with concerned agencies and individuals in the

2-42

development of a state communications network involving the transportation of injured persons

2-43

by vehicles licensed under this chapter and hospitals. The director may allocate available funds

2-44

for the establishing and maintenance of a communications network involving vehicles, hospitals,

2-45

and other emergency treating organizations within the state.

2-46

      (h) The director shall cooperate with concerned agencies and individuals in the

2-47

development of a plan for the coordination of ambulance dispatching services with the state.

2-48

     23-4.1-8. Applications for license. -- (a) Any person, firm, partnership, corporation,

2-49

municipality, volunteer units, or any other business or organization providing ambulance service

2-50

shall, at the time of license application, furnish the director of health with a list of all persons

2-51

authorized to act as an attendant of any ambulance owned or operated by the applicant.

2-52

      (b) The director shall provide application forms for licenses under this section.

3-53

      (c) Subject to the approval of the board, the The director shall make reasonable

3-54

minimum standards of health, performance, fitness, education, and moral fitness. The director

3-55

may use the guides established by the American College of Surgeons' Board of Regents or the

3-56

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians as a standard, except that a felony

3-57

conviction shall not necessarily disqualify an attendant.

3-58

      (d) Each applicant shall hold a current certificate of completion of at least an emergency

3-59

medical technical-ambulance course approved by the board.

3-60

      (e) If there is a hardship imposed upon any applicant for a license because of an unusual

3-61

circumstance, the applicant may apply to the director for a temporary waiver of the licensing

3-62

provisions for good cause shown. The director has the power to waive licensing provisions for a

3-63

period not to exceed ninety (90) days.

3-64

     23-4.1-16. Emergency medical services for children. -- (a) There is established within

3-65

the department of health, division of emergency medical services (EMS), an emergency medical

3-66

services for children (EMSC) program. The EMSC program, operated within the department of

3-67

emergency medicine of Hasbro Children's Hospital, shall be recognized by the department of

3-68

health as a resource to the state's overall emergency medical services system, in order to effect the

3-69

provisions of this chapter. The objective and directive of the EMSC program shall be to continue,

3-70

to the extent that funds through the federal government, state government or private sources are

3-71

available for this purpose, the growth and development of those programs already in effect

3-72

pursuant to the federal grant received under the maternal and child health bureau. The goal and

3-73

objective of the program shall include, but shall not be limited to the following:

3-74

      (1) To develop and implement new statewide EMS treatment protocols that emphasize

3-75

pediatric emergency care, along with supporting EMT education and training programs;

3-76

      (2) To develop programs for parents and communities, which shall:

3-77

      (i) Identify and reduce barriers to emergency care for children;

3-78

      (ii) Provide information relating to health promotion and injury prevention; and

3-79

      (iii) Focus on recognition of emergencies, and improving access to and appropriate use

3-80

of the local EMS systems; and

3-81

      (3) The program shall also provide periodic case reviews and follow-up to EMS

3-82

personnel in pediatric cases.

3-83

      (b) The EMSC program may solicit, receive, and spend funds it receives from the federal

3-84

government, state government or private sources to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

3-85

      (c) The EMSC program may employ or contract with professional, technical, research,

3-86

and clerical staff, and with health care facilities that have expertise in pediatric care, as necessary

3-87

within the limits of available funding.

4-1

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

=======

LC01456

========

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION

SERVICES

***

5-1

     This act would revise the statutes regarding emergency management transportation

5-2

services in order to replace certain terminology to reflect current standards and practices.

5-3

     This act would take effect upon passage.

=======

LC01456

=======