03/15/2021 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

        SB  21-LICENSE MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDICS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:57:44 PM                                                                                                                    
ACTING  CHAIR STEVENS  reconvened the  meeting and  announced the                                                               
consideration of SENATE  BILL NO. 21, "An Act  relating to mobile                                                               
intensive  care  paramedics;  relating  to duties  of  the  State                                                               
Medical Board and  the Department of Health  and Social Services;                                                               
and providing for an effective date."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:58:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR JOSH REVAK, speaking as sponsor, introduced SB 21 with                                                                  
the following statement:                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     SB 21  seeks to consolidate oversight  of the Emergency                                                                    
     Medical Services (EMS) system  under a single agency to                                                                    
     improve peer and professional  oversight. This has been                                                                    
     years  in the  making  through  a deliberative  process                                                                    
     that involved  hundreds of stakeholders  throughout the                                                                    
     EMS  community. It  has been  unanimously supported  by                                                                    
     the  State Medical  Board and  has  broad support  from                                                                    
     paramedics around the state.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Currently  EMS oversight  is  split  between the  State                                                                    
     Medical  Board within  the Department  of Commerce  and                                                                    
     the  EMS section  within the  Department of  Health and                                                                    
     Social  Services (DHSS).  This bill  will transfer  all                                                                    
     paramedic  licensure to  the  Alaska Emergency  Medical                                                                    
     Services in  DHSS, which  currently is  responsible for                                                                    
     certifying EMTs, EMT  instructors, EMT training, ground                                                                    
     ambulance,  medevac  services,  paramedic  instructors,                                                                    
     and  paramedic training.  All  the  other EMS  services                                                                    
     except for paramedics.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     This split  arose because paramedics  did not  exist in                                                                    
     Alaska  before  1974.  After   1974,  the  term  mobile                                                                    
     intensive care paramedic was created  for the new scope                                                                    
     of  practice  in  the   Anchorage  and  Fairbanks  fire                                                                    
     departments.  The  emergency  medical  services  within                                                                    
     DHSS did not  exist in Alaska code until  1981 when the                                                                    
     responsibility  to  license and  credential  paramedics                                                                    
     was placed under the State  Medical Board. In 1984, the                                                                    
     EMS  section  became  fully  functional;  however,  the                                                                    
     paramedic  licensure  still   stayed  under  the  State                                                                    
     Medical Board.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     SB 21  will not change  the scope of  practice, license                                                                    
     requirements,  or fee  structure for  the approximately                                                                    
     600   paramedic  licenses   in   Alaska.  The   medical                                                                    
     direction will  be provided by the  existing DHSS chief                                                                    
     medical   officer  and   the  EMS   medical  director's                                                                    
     committee  comprised  of  10  members  specializing  in                                                                    
     emergency medicine,  five of whom are  required to have                                                                    
     paramedic  experience. The  existing  data systems  are                                                                    
     able  to incorporate  paramedic  licensure, making  the                                                                    
     move a seamless transition.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Transferring   oversight   and  licensure   of   mobile                                                                    
     intensive care paramedics from  the State Medical Board                                                                    
     to DHSS will fully integrate  the EMS system and ensure                                                                    
     it  is robust,  sustainable, and  resilient so  that it                                                                    
     functions optimally. Aligning all  EMS services under a                                                                    
     single agency  promotes public health and  safety while                                                                    
     also   providing   efficiencies    through   peer   and                                                                    
     professional oversight.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR REVAK summarized that SB 21  has the same language as the                                                               
bill the  committee heard  last year.  It moves  paramedics under                                                               
the structure  with the rest  of the emergency  medical services.                                                               
He said he is unaware of any opposition to the legislation.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ACTING CHAIR  STEVENS polled  the members  and determined  it was                                                               
not necessary to go through the sectional analysis.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:02:30 PM                                                                                                                    
ACTING CHAIR  STEVENS opened public  testimony on SB  21. Finding                                                               
nobody  who wished  to comment,  he closed  public testimony  and                                                               
solicited the will of the committee.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:03:02 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR HOLLAND  moved to report  SB 21, work  order 32-LS0207\B,                                                               
from committee with individual  recommendations and attached zero                                                               
fiscal note(s).                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
ACTING CHAIR  STEVENS found  no objection and  SB 21  passed from                                                               
the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.