Bill > A1243

Introduced Session

The bill establishes the EMS Provider Safety Grant Program in the Department of Health to award one-time, competitive grants to emergency medical services (EMS) providers to offset the costs of purchasing safety equipment. It is the intent of the bill's sponsor to protect the health and safety of these essential first responders by ensuring that EMS providers have sufficient funding for crucial safety equipment. Under the bill, EMS providers will be eligible to apply for grands through the EMS Provider Safety Grant Program. Expenditures eligible for reimbursement under the grant program include those for the purchase of: personal protective equipment, such as N-95 masks and disposable gloves; protective clothing, such as footwear or safety eyewear; advanced cleaning equipment; and any other virus protection equipment as may be determined appropriate by the Commissioner of Health. Grant awards and amounts will be dependent upon the availability of State fiscal resources. The grant program, additionally, will expire once the funding has been expended. Pursuant to the bill, the commissioner is required to develop an online application and a process by which EMS providers may apply for grants through the program. As part of the grant application, EMS providers are required to include: 1) a description of the applicant's intended use of the grant funding; and 2) a list of the personnel or outside consultants, if any, who will be responsible for managing the grant funds and the purchase of safety equipment. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of Health will establish procedures and criteria for reviewing and awarding EMS Provider Safety Grants, and will give preference to applicants based upon: (1) the scope of provider need, as documented by the annual number of service calls handled by the EMS provider, the number of active EMS personnel, and service area population; (2) the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the EMS provider, based on the burden of illness among the provider's personnel and the local community served by the provider; and (3) the strength of the applicant's proposed plan of use for the grant funds. One year after the bill's effective date, the commissioner will report to the Governor and the Legislature on the number of grants awarded and the number of safety items procured through the EMS Provider Safety Grant Program. The bill, finally, appropriates $10 million from the federal "Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund" allocation, available to the State under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to the Department of Health to establish the EMS Provider Safety Grant Program.

AI Summary

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Alex Sauickie (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document