Bill > A2384

This bill mandates that the Department of Health's (DOH) Office of Emergency Medical Services develop a comprehensive Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan to create a coordinated system across New Jersey, which will be reviewed and updated every three years and made available online. The plan will involve assessing current resources and effectiveness, identifying needs for improvement, setting performance goals with cost estimates, and collaborating with various organizations to ensure appropriate and economical care for all residents, including those who currently use emergency departments for non-urgent issues. It will also establish a unified system encompassing facilities, transportation, personnel, and communication, aiming to reduce response times, increase access to high-quality care, promote continuous improvement in all aspects of emergency medical services, and enhance training for personnel, particularly in underserved areas. The plan will also include designating trauma and specialty care centers, maintaining a data collection system for performance improvement, establishing crisis intervention and peer support services for emergency responders, coordinating with existing programs for children's emergency medical services, supporting disaster response teams, improving emergency dispatching, and identifying and disseminating best practices for managing emergency medical services. The DOH will work with the Emergency Medical Services for Children program and the State trauma medical director to align their plans with this new Statewide initiative, and the bill will take effect 180 days after enactment.