Mike Gipson

Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority. Under existing law, the authority is responsible for the coordination and integration of all state activities concerning emergency medical services. Existing law requires local emergency medical services agencies to establish policies that govern, among other things, the transport and destination of patients within the emergency medical services system.

This bill would require a law enforcement agency transporting a person to an emergency department to transport the person to the nearest appropriate emergency department, as defined, except as specified. The bill would require each law enforcement agency to submit a quarterly report to the authority containing specified information regarding transports conducted pursuant to these provisions, including, among other things, the origin location of the transported person. By imposing additional duties on local law enforcement agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require the authority to publish the reports annually, as specified. The bill would require the authority to exercise regulatory oversight to implement and ensure compliance with these provisions and would authorize the authority to, among other things, conduct audits, as specified.

The bill would make related findings and declarations.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.