Amendment #1239 to H3900

Hospital Based EMS Grants

Mr. Ryan of Boston moves to amend the bill in section 2, by adding the following line item:-

4000-XXXX For one-time grants administered by the executive office of health and human services for New England Life Flight, Inc., d/b/a Boston MedFlight, and hospital-based emergency medical services providers to address the ongoing EMS workforce shortage and current hospital capacity crisis through staffing investments and incentives to recruit and retain both paramedics and emergency medicine technicians, and initiatives to relieve emergency department crowding and patient boarding.  For the purposes of this section, “hospital-based emergency medical services providers” shall be defined as emergency medical services providers owned and operated by a hospital, as defined under section 51 of chapter 111 of the general laws, or a health system anchored by one or more hospitals, as defined under said chapter. Provided, priority shall be given to hospital-based emergency medical services providers (i) serving high Medicaid and Medicare populations in underserved areas of the commonwealth, (ii) experiencing low emergency medical services staffing levels, and (iii) experiencing emergency department capacity challenges and high levels of patient boarding; provided further, that staffing investments include sufficient funding for culturally and linguistically competent workforce recruitment, retention and training, including, but not limited to loan repayment programs, reimbursement for personnel training, and hiring and retention incentives to support the full spectrum of hospital-based emergency medical services providers; and, provided further, that funds may be expended establishing or supporting community paramedicine or mobile integrated health care initiatives. Not later than November 1, 2023, the executive office of health and human services shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, and the joint committee on health care financing detailing the: (i) funds distributed, delineated by hospital or health system; (ii) description of workforce recruitment and hiring efforts funded to mitigate staffing shortages; and (iii) projected staffing and funding necessary to meet the emergency medical services workforce needs of all hospital-based emergency medical services providers………$2,000,000.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1239 to H3900

Hospital Based EMS Grants