Senate Bill 0290e1
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CS for SB 290 First Engrossed
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency medical services;
3 creating s. 401.272, F.S., providing for
4 paramedics and emergency medical technicians to
5 provide health promotion and wellness
6 activities and blood pressure screenings;
7 providing for paramedics to administer
8 immunizations and requiring the verification
9 and documentation of their qualifications to do
10 so; providing conditions to the provision of
11 such community health care; providing for
12 rulemaking; amending s. 401.265, F.S.;
13 specifying additional liability provisions for
14 medical directors under certain circumstances;
15 providing an effective date.
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17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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19 Section 1. Section 401.272, Florida Statutes, is
20 created to read:
21 401.272 Emergency medical services community health
22 care.--
23 (1) The purpose of this section is to encourage more
24 effective utilization of the skills of emergency medical
25 technicians and paramedics by enabling them to perform, in
26 partnership with local county health departments, specific
27 additional health care tasks that are consistent with the
28 public health and welfare.
29 (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
30 contrary:
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CS for SB 290 First Engrossed
1 (a) Paramedics or emergency medical technicians may
2 perform health promotion and wellness activities and blood
3 pressure screenings in a nonemergency environment, within the
4 scope of their training, and under the direction of a medical
5 director. As used in this paragraph, the term "health
6 promotion and wellness" means the provision of public health
7 programs pertaining to the prevention of illness and injury.
8 (b) Paramedics may administer immunizations in a
9 nonemergency environment, within the scope of their training,
10 and under the direction of a medical director. There must be a
11 written agreement between the paramedic's medical director and
12 the county health department located in each county in which
13 the paramedic administers immunizations. This agreement must
14 establish the protocols, policies, and procedures under which
15 the paramedic must operate.
16 (3) Each medical director under whose direction a
17 paramedic administers immunizations must verify and document
18 that the paramedic has received sufficient training and
19 experience to administer immunizations. The verification must
20 be documented on forms developed by the department, and the
21 completed forms must be maintained at the service location of
22 the licensee and made available to the department upon
23 request.
24 (4) The department may adopt and enforce all rules
25 necessary to enforce the provisions relating to a paramedic's
26 administration of immunizations and the performance of health
27 promotion and wellness activities and blood pressure
28 screenings by a paramedic or emergency medical technician in a
29 nonemergency environment.
30 Section 2. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section
31 401.411, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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CS for SB 290 First Engrossed
1 401.411 Disciplinary action; penalties.--
2 (1) The department may deny, suspend, or revoke a
3 license, certificate, or permit or may reprimand or fine any
4 licensee, certificateholder, or other person operating under
5 this part for any of the following grounds:
6 (g) Unprofessional conduct, including, but not limited
7 to, any departure from or failure to conform to the minimal
8 prevailing standards of acceptable practice as an emergency
9 medical technician or paramedic, including undertaking
10 activities that the emergency medical technician or paramedic
11 is not qualified by training or experience to perform.
12 Section 3. Subsection (4) is added to section 401.265,
13 Florida Statutes, to read:
14 401.265 Medical directors.--
15 (4) Each medical director who uses a paramedic or
16 emergency medical technician to perform blood pressure
17 screening, health promotion, and wellness activities, or to
18 administer immunization on any patient under a protocol as
19 specified in s. 401.272, which is not in the provision of
20 emergency care, is liable for any act or omission of any
21 paramedic or emergency medical technician acting under his or
22 her supervision and control when performing such services.
23 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
24 law.
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