By Dunnam                                             H.B. No. 3312
         77R11199 JRD-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to establishing a pilot program for state emergency
 1-3     medical dispatch resource centers.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Chapter 771, Health and Safety Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Subchapter E to read as follows:
 1-7       SUBCHAPTER E.  STATE EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH RESOURCE CENTER
 1-8           Sec. 771.101.  ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM. (a)  The Texas
 1-9     Department of Health, with the assistance of the advisory council
1-10     appointed under Section 773.012, shall establish a pilot program to
1-11     test the efficacy of using emergency medical dispatchers located in
1-12     a regional emergency medical dispatch resource center to provide
1-13     life-saving and other emergency medical instructions to persons who
1-14     need guidance while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical
1-15     personnel.  The purpose of a regional emergency medical dispatch
1-16     resource center is not to dispatch personnel or equipment resources
1-17     but to serve as a resource to provide pre-arrival instructions that
1-18     may be accessed by selected public safety answering points that are
1-19     not adequately staffed or funded to provide those services.
1-20           (b)  The commission shall provide technical assistance to the
1-21     department to facilitate the implementation of the pilot project.
1-22           (c)  The department, with the cooperation of the advisory
1-23     council, shall:
1-24                 (1)  design criteria and protocols and provide
 2-1     oversight as needed to conduct the pilot program;
 2-2                 (2)  collect the necessary data to evaluate the outcome
 2-3     of the pilot program; and
 2-4                 (3)  report its findings to the legislature.
 2-5           Sec. 771.102.  PARTICIPATION IN PILOT PROGRAM. (a)  The Texas
 2-6     Department of Health shall determine which public safety answering
 2-7     points are interested in participating in the pilot program.
 2-8           (b)  The department shall establish criteria for selecting
 2-9     qualified public safety answering points to participate in the
2-10     pilot program.
2-11           (c)  Participating public safety answering points must agree
2-12     to participate in any required training and to provide regular
2-13     reports required by the department for the pilot program.
2-14           Sec. 771.103.  SELECTION OF REGIONAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL
2-15     DISPATCH RESOURCE CENTER. (a)  The Texas Department of Health, with
2-16     the assistance of the advisory council, shall select one public
2-17     safety answering point to serve as the regional emergency medical
2-18     dispatch resource center.  The public safety answering point
2-19     selected as the resource center for the pilot program must:
2-20                 (1)  have a fully functional quality assurance program
2-21     that measures each emergency medical dispatcher's compliance with
2-22     the medical protocol;
2-23                 (2)  have dispatch personnel who meet the requirements
2-24     for emergency medical dispatcher certification or the equivalent as
2-25     determined by the Texas Department of Health;
2-26                 (3)  use emergency medical dispatch protocols approved
2-27     by a physician medical director knowledgeable in emergency medical
 3-1     dispatch;
 3-2                 (4)  have sufficient experience in providing
 3-3     pre-arrival instructions; and
 3-4                 (5)  have sufficient resources to handle the additional
 3-5     workload and responsibilities of the pilot program.
 3-6           (b)  In selecting an existing public safety answering point
 3-7     to act as the resource center, the department and the advisory
 3-8     council shall consider a public safety answering point's ability to
 3-9     keep records and produce reports to measure the effectiveness of
3-10     the pilot program.
3-11           Sec. 771.104.  CRITERIA FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH
3-12     INTERVENTION. The department and the advisory council shall define
3-13     criteria that establish the need for emergency medical dispatch
3-14     intervention to be used by participating public safety answering
3-15     points to determine which calls are to be transferred to the
3-16     regional emergency medical dispatch resource center for emergency
3-17     medical dispatch intervention.
3-18           Sec. 771.105.  FUNDING OF PILOT PROGRAM.  Money in the 9-1-1
3-19     services fee fund may be appropriated to the Texas Department of
3-20     Health to fund the pilot program.
3-21           Sec. 771.106.  REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. The department shall
3-22     report its findings to the presiding officer of each house of the
3-23     legislature no later than December 1, 2002.
3-24           Sec. 771.107.  LIABILITY. The operations of the regional
3-25     emergency medical dispatch resource center are considered to be the
3-26     provision of 9-1-1 services for purposes of Section 771.053.
3-27     Employees of and volunteers at the center have the same protection
 4-1     from liability as a member of the governing body of a public agency
 4-2     under Section 771.053.
 4-3           Sec. 771.108.  EXPIRATION.  This subchapter expires September
 4-4     1, 2003.
 4-5           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.