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.