Sec. 19a-178a. Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board established; appointment; responsibilities.

(a) There is established within the Department of Public Health an Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board.

(b) The advisory board shall consist of members appointed in accordance with the provisions of this subsection and shall include the Commissioner of Public Health, the department's emergency medical services medical director and the president of each of the regional emergency medical services councils, or their designees. The Governor shall appoint the following members: (1) One person from the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health; (2) three persons from the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians; (3) one person from the Connecticut Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons; (4) one person from the Connecticut Medical Advisory Committee; (5) one person from the Emergency Nurses Association; (6) one person from the Connecticut Association of Emergency Medical Services Instructors; (7) one person from the Connecticut Hospital Association; (8) two persons representing commercial ambulance providers; (9) one person from the Connecticut State Firefighters Association; (10) one person from the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association; (11) one person from the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association; (12) one person from the Connecticut State Police; and (13) one person from the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. An additional eighteen members shall be appointed as follows: (A) Three by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (B) three by the majority leader of the Senate; (C) four by the minority leader of the Senate; (D) three by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (E) two by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; and (F) three by the minority leader of the House of Representatives. The appointees shall include a person with experience in municipal ambulance services; a person with experience in for-profit ambulance services; three persons with experience in volunteer ambulance services; a paramedic; an emergency medical technician; an advanced emergency medical technician; three consumers and four persons from state-wide organizations with interests in emergency medical services as well as any other areas of expertise that may be deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the advisory board.

(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall appoint a chairperson from among the members of the advisory board who shall serve for a term of one year. The advisory board shall elect a vice-chairperson and secretary. The advisory board shall have committees made up of such members as the chairperson shall appoint and such other interested persons as the committee members shall elect to membership. The advisory board may, from time to time, appoint nonmembers to serve on such ad hoc committees as it deems necessary to assist with its functions. The advisory board shall develop bylaws. The advisory board shall establish a Connecticut Emergency Medical Services Medical Advisory Committee as a standing committee. The standing committee shall provide the commissioner, the advisory board and other ad hoc committees with advice and comment regarding the medical aspects of their projects. The standing committee may submit reports directly to the commissioner regarding medically-related concerns that have not, in the standing committee's opinion, been satisfactorily addressed by the advisory board.

(d) The term for each appointed member of the advisory board shall be coterminous with the appointing authority. Appointees shall serve without compensation.

(e) The advisory board, in addition to other power conferred and in addition to functioning in a general advisory capacity, shall assist in coordinating the efforts of all persons and agencies in the state concerned with the emergency medical service system, and shall render advice on the development of the emergency medical service system where needed. The advisory board shall make an annual report to the commissioner.

(f) The advisory board shall be provided a reasonable opportunity to review and make recommendations on all regulations, medical guidelines and policies affecting emergency medical services before the department establishes such regulations, medical guidelines or policies. The advisory board shall make recommendations to the Governor and to the General Assembly concerning legislation which, in the advisory board's judgment, will improve the delivery of emergency medical services.

(P.A. 98-195, S. 1; P.A. 09-232, S. 29; P.A. 10-117, S. 54; P.A. 11-242, S. 34; P.A. 16-185, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 09-232 amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “department's emergency medical services medical director” for “state medical director”, “paramedic” for “emergency medical technician paramedic” and “advanced emergency medical technician” for “emergency medical technician intermediate”, effective January 1, 2010; P.A. 10-117 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting “forty-one” re number of board members, inserting provision re appointment in accordance with “this subsection” and adding regional medical service coordinators appointed pursuant to Sec. 19a-186a to advisory board, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-242 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision re regional medical service coordinators appointed pursuant to Sec. 19a-186a being members of advisory board; P.A. 16-185 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting reference to representative from each regional emergency medical services council appointed by Governor and adding reference to president of each council, by adding Subdiv. designators (1) to (13) and Subpara. designators (A) to (F) and by making technical changes, effective June 7, 2016.