Sec. 2. Findings
613 words·~3 min read·
/bill/113/hr/809/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Congress finds the following: All persons throughout the country should have access to and receive high-quality emergency medical care as part of a coordinated emergency medical services system. Properly functioning emergency medical services
(EMS)systems, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, are essential to ensure access to emergency medical care and transport for all patients with emergency medical conditions. Such coordinated EMS systems are also necessary for response to catastrophic incidents. Ensuring high-quality and cost-effective EMS systems requires readiness, preparedness, medical direction, oversight, and innovation throughout the continuum of emergency medical care through Federal, State, and local multijurisdictional collaboration and sufficient resources for EMS agencies and providers. At the Federal level, EMS responsibilities and resources of several Federal agencies consistent with their expertise and authority must emphasize the critical importance of Federal agency collaboration and coordination for all emergency medical services. At the State and local level, EMS systems and agencies require the coordination and improved capabilities of multiple and diverse stakeholders. Emergency medical services encompass the provision of care provided to patients with emergency medical conditions throughout the continuum, including emergency medical care and trauma care provided in the field, hospital, and rehabilitation settings. Field EMS comprises essential emergency medical services, including medical care or medical transport provided to patients prior to or outside medical facilities and other clinical settings. The primary purpose of field emergency medical services is to ensure that emergency medical patients receive the right care at the right place in the right amount of time. Coordinated and high-quality field EMS is essential to the Nation’s security. Field EMS is an essential public service provided by governmental and nongovernmental agencies and practitioners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and during catastrophic incidents. To ensure disaster and all-hazards preparedness for EMS operations as part of the Nation’s comprehensive disaster preparedness, Federal funding for preparedness activities, including catastrophic training and drills, must be provided to governmental and nongovernmental EMS agencies so as to ensure a greater capability within each of these areas. Numerous recommendations from several significant national reports and documents have demonstrated the need in multiple areas for substantial improvement of emergency medical services provided in the field, including recommendations in the EMS Agenda for the Future, the Institute of Medicine report The Future of Emergency Care in the United Health System , and the National EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems Approach and recommendations by the National EMS Workforce Injury and Illness Surveillance Program, the Department of Transportation’s National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC), and the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS). To substantially improve field EMS, advancements must be made in several essential areas including readiness, innovation, preparedness, education and workforce development, safety, financing, quality, standards, and research. The recognition of a primary programmatic Federal agency for emergency medical services within the Department of Health and Human Services was recommended by the Institute of Medicine and is necessary to provide a more streamlined, cost-efficient, and comprehensive approach for field EMS and a focal point for practitioners and agencies to interface with the Federal Government. The essential role of field EMS in disaster preparedness and response must be incorporated into the national preparedness and response strategy and implementation as provided and overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to their respective jurisdictions. The essential role of NHTSA in the continued development of NEMSIS and in overseeing transportation issues related to field EMS such as EMS and ambulance vehicle safety standards should be maintained. FICEMS must continue in its essential role in coordinating the Federal activities related to the full spectrum of EMS.