By Dunnam                                             H.B. No. 3312
         77R9441 T                           
                                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 CENTERS
 1-8           Sec. 771.101.  ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS. (a)  The commission
 1-9     and the Texas Department of Health shall jointly establish one or
1-10     more state emergency medical dispatch resource centers.
1-11           (b)  The purpose of a state emergency medical dispatch
1-12     resource center is not to dispatch personnel or equipment resources
1-13     but to provide a 24-hour pre-arrival instructions that may be
1-14     accessed by public safety answering points in areas of the state in
1-15     which the public safety answering point is not adequately staffed
1-16     to provide life-saving and other emergency medical instructions to
1-17     persons who need guidance while awaiting the arrival of emergency
1-18     medical personnel.
1-19           Sec. 771.102.  VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION. An emergency
1-20     communication district may choose to participate or not to
1-21     participate in receiving the services offered by a state emergency
1-22     medical dispatch center without regard to whether the district is
1-23     participating in the applicable regional plan.
1-24           Sec. 771.103.  TELEPHONE SERVICES. (a)  Each public safety
 2-1     answering point in an area served by an emergency communication
 2-2     district that chooses to participate under this subchapter shall
 2-3     have direct telephone access to an emergency medical dispatch
 2-4     center.  Access to the center shall be available through all 9-1-1
 2-5     services in the region.
 2-6           (b)  The 9-1-1 service calls may be routed to an emergency
 2-7     medical dispatch resource center if the routing does not adversely
 2-8     affect the immediate availability of services for dispatching
 2-9     emergency medical personnel.  To the extent possible, personnel
2-10     from the public safety answering point and the center will both be
2-11     able to monitor the call and communicate with the member of the
2-12     public as necessary.
2-13           Sec. 771.104.  OPERATION OF CENTERS. The Texas Department of
2-14     Health shall operate each emergency medical dispatch resource
2-15     center or contract with a regional planning commission or other
2-16     appropriate entity to operate a center.  The department shall
2-17     ensure that each center is adequately staffed at all times to meet
2-18     the reasonably foreseeable needs of persons in areas participating
2-19     under this subchapter for life-saving and other emergency medical
2-20     instructions.
2-21           Sec. 771.105.  LIABILITY. The operations of an emergency
2-22     medical dispatch resource center are considered to be the provision
2-23     of 9-1-1 services for purposes of Section 771.053.
2-24           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.