S 7501: Directs counties, in coordination with their regional emergency medical services councils, to develop and maintain comprehensive county emergency medical system plans that provide for coordinated emergency medical systems within such counties.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7501 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE April 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the general municipal law and the public health law, in relation to emergency medical services The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of 2 the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 471 of the laws of 3 2011, is amended and a new paragraph (g) is added to read as follows: 4 [Any] General ambulance services are an essential service. Every 5 county, city, town [or] and village, acting individually or jointly or 6 in conjunction with a special district, [may provide] shall ensure that 7 an emergency medical service, a general ambulance service or a combina- 8 tion of such services are provided for the purpose of providing prehos- 9 pital emergency medical treatment or transporting sick or injured 10 persons found within the boundaries of the municipality or the munici- 11 palities acting jointly to a hospital, clinic, sanatorium or other place 12 for treatment of such illness or injury, [and for] provided, however, 13 that the provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to a city with a 14 population of one million or more. In furtherance of that purpose, a 15 county, city, town or village may: 16 (g) Establish a special district for the financing and operation of 17 general ambulance services, including support for agencies currently 18 providing EMS services, as set forth by this section, whereby any coun- 19 ty, city, town or village, acting individually, or jointly with any 20 other county, city, town and/or village, through its governing body or 21 bodies, following applicable procedures as are required for the estab- 22 lishment of fire districts in article eleven of the town law or follow- 23 ing applicable procedures as are required for the establishment of joint 24 fire districts in article eleven-A of the town law, with such special 25 district being authorized by this section to be established in all or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11722-01-5 
 S. 7501 2 1 any part of any such participating county or counties, town or towns, 2 city or cities and/or village or villages. Notwithstanding any 3 provision of this article, rule or regulation to the contrary, any 4 special district created under this section shall not overlap with a 5 pre-existing city, town or village ambulance district unless such exist- 6 ing district is merged into the newly created district. No city, town 7 or village shall eliminate or dissolve a pre-existing ambulance district 8 without express approval and consent by the county to assume responsi- 9 bility for the emergency medical services previously provided by such 10 district. When a special district is established pursuant to this arti- 11 cle, the cities, towns, or villages contained within the county shall 12 not reduce current ambulance funding without such changes being incorpo- 13 rated into the comprehensive county emergency medical system plan. 14 § 2. Section 3000 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 804 15 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows: 16 § 3000. Declaration of policy and statement of purpose. The furnishing 17 of medical assistance in an emergency is a matter of vital concern 18 affecting the public health, safety and welfare. Emergency medical 19 services and ambulance services are essential services and shall be 20 available to every person in the state of New York in a reliable manner. 21 Prehospital emergency medical care, other emergency medical services, 22 the provision of prompt and effective communication among ambulances and 23 hospitals and safe and effective care and transportation of the sick and 24 injured are essential public health services and shall be available to 25 every person in the state of New York in a reliable manner. 26 It is the purpose of this article to promote the public health, safety 27 and welfare by providing for certification of all advanced life support 28 first response services and ambulance services; the creation of regional 29 emergency medical services councils; and a New York state emergency 30 medical services council to develop minimum training standards for 31 certified first responders, emergency medical technicians and advanced 32 emergency medical technicians and minimum equipment and communication 33 standards for advanced life support first response services and ambu- 34 lance services. 35 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 3001 of the public health law, as 36 amended by chapter 804 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as 37 follows: 38 1. "Emergency medical service" means [initial emergency medical 39 assistance including, but not limited to, the treatment of trauma, 40 burns, respiratory, circulatory and obstetrical emergencies] a coordi- 41 nated system of healthcare delivery that responds to the needs of sick 42 and injured adults and children, by providing: essential care at the 43 scene of an emergency, non-emergency, specialty need or public event; 44 community education and prevention programs; ground and air ambulance 45 services; centralized access and emergency medical dispatch; training 46 for emergency medical services practitioners; medical first response; 47 mobile trauma care systems; mass casualty management; medical direction; 48 or quality control and system evaluation procedures. 49 § 4. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 3019 to 50 read as follows: 51 § 3019. Statewide comprehensive emergency medical system plan. 1. The 52 state emergency medical services council, in collaboration and with 53 final approval of the department, shall develop and maintain a statewide 54 comprehensive emergency medical system plan that shall provide for a 55 coordinated emergency medical system within the state, which shall 56 include but not be limited to: 
 S. 7501 3 1 (a) establishing a comprehensive statewide emergency medical system, 2 consisting of facilities, transportation, workforce, communications, and 3 other components to improve the delivery of emergency medical service 4 and thereby decrease morbidity, hospitalization, disability, and mortal- 5 ity; 6 (b) improving the accessibility of high-quality emergency medical 7 service; 8 (c) coordinating professional medical organizations, hospitals, and 9 other public and private agencies in developing alternative delivery 10 models for persons who are presently using emergency departments for 11 routine, nonurgent and primary medical care to be served appropriately 12 and economically, provided, however, that the provisions of this subdi- 13 vision shall not apply to a city with a population of one million or 14 more; and 15 (d) conducting, promoting, and encouraging programs of education and 16 training designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of emergency 17 medical service practitioners throughout the state with emphasis on 18 regions underserved by or with limited access to emergency medical 19 services. 20 2. The statewide comprehensive emergency medical system plan shall be 21 reviewed, updated if necessary, and published every five years on the 22 department's website, or at such earlier times as may be necessary to 23 improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the state's emergency 24 medical service system. 25 3. Each regional emergency medical services council shall develop and 26 maintain a comprehensive regional emergency medical system plan or adopt 27 the statewide comprehensive emergency medical service system plan, to 28 provide for a coordinated emergency medical system within the region. 29 Such plans shall incorporate all ambulance services with a current EMS 30 operating certificate for response to calls in their designated operat- 31 ing territory and shall be subject to review by the state emergency 32 medical services council and final approval by the department. Any 33 proposed permanent changes to the regional emergency medical system 34 plan, including the dissolution of an ambulance services district or 35 other significant modification of existing coverage shall be submitted 36 in writing to the department no later than one hundred eighty days 37 before the change shall take effect. Such changes shall not be made 38 until receipt of the appropriate departmental approvals. 39 4. Each county shall develop and maintain a comprehensive county emer- 40 gency medical system plan that shall provide for a coordinated emergency 41 medical system within the county, to provide essential emergency medical 42 services for all residents within the county. The county office of emer- 43 gency medical services shall be responsible for the development, imple- 44 mentation, and maintenance of the comprehensive county emergency medical 45 system plan. Such plans may require review and approval, as determined 46 by the state emergency medical services council, by such council, the 47 regional emergency medical services council and approval by the depart- 48 ment. Such plan shall incorporate all ambulance services with a current 49 EMS operating certificate for response to calls in their designated 50 operating territory and shall outline the primary responding agency for 51 requests for service for each part of the county. Any proposed perma- 52 nent changes to the county emergency medical system plan, including the 53 dissolution of an ambulance services district or other significant 54 modification of existing coverage shall be submitted in writing to the 55 department no later than one hundred eighty days before the change shall 56 take effect. Such changes shall not be made until receipt of the appro- 
 S. 7501 4 1 priate approvals. No county shall remove or reassign an area served by 2 an existing medical emergency response agency where such agency is 3 compliant with all statutory and regulatory requirements, and has agreed 4 to the provision of the approved plan. 5 § 5. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 3019-a 6 to read as follows: 7 § 3019-a. Emergency medical systems training program. 1. The state 8 emergency medical services council shall make recommendations to the 9 department for the department to implement standards related to the 10 establishment of training programs for emergency medical systems that 11 include but are not limited to students, emergency medical service prac- 12 titioners, emergency medical services agencies, approved educational 13 institutions, geographic areas, facilities, and personnel, and the 14 commissioner shall fund such training programs in full or in part based 15 on state appropriations. Until such time as the department announces 16 the training program established pursuant to this section is in effect, 17 all current standards, curricula, and requirements for students, emer- 18 gency medical service practitioners, agencies, facilities, and personnel 19 shall remain in effect. 20 2. The state emergency medical services council, with final approval 21 of the department, shall establish minimum education standards, curric- 22 ula, and requirements for all emergency medical system educational 23 institutions. No person or educational institution shall profess to 24 provide emergency medical system training without meeting the require- 25 ments set forth in regulation and only after approval of the department. 26 3. The department is authorized to provide, either directly or through 27 contract, for local or statewide initiatives, emergency medical system 28 training for emergency medical service practitioners and emergency 29 medical system agency personnel, using funding including but not limited 30 to allocations to aid to localities for emergency medical services 31 training. 32 4. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the regional 33 emergency medical services council with jurisdiction over the city of 34 New York shall have authority to establish, subject to the approval of 35 the commissioner, training and educational requirements which shall 36 apply to all emergency medical practitioners working in the 911 system 37 of the city of New York and to determine protocols for the delivery of 38 emergency medical care, including those related to staffing, in the 911 39 system of the city of New York. Such training and educational require- 40 ments and protocols for the delivery of care shall be at least equal or 41 comparable to those applicable to emergency medical service practition- 42 ers in other areas of the state. 43 5. The department may visit and inspect any emergency medical system 44 training program or training center operating under this article to 45 ensure compliance. The department may request the state or regional 46 emergency medical services council's assistance to ensure the compli- 47 ance, maintenance, and coordination of training programs. Emergency 48 medical services institutions that fail to meet applicable standards and 49 regulations may be subject to enforcement action, including but not 50 limited to revocation, suspension, performance improvement plans, or 51 restriction from specific types of education. 52 § 6. Section 3020 of the public health law is amended by adding three 53 new subdivisions 3, 4 and 5 to read as follows: 54 3. The department, with the approval of the state emergency medical 55 services council, may create or adopt additional standards, training and 56 criteria to become an emergency medical service practitioner credent- 
 S. 7501 5 1 ialled to provide specialized, advanced, or other services that further 2 support or advance the emergency medical system. The department, with 3 approval of the state emergency medical services council may also set 4 standards and requirements to require specialized credentials to perform 5 certain functions in the emergency medical services system. 6 4. The department, with approval of the state emergency medical 7 services council may also set standards for emergency medical system 8 agencies to become accredited in a specific area to increase system 9 performance and agency recognition. 10 5. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the regional 11 emergency medical services council with jurisdiction over the city of 12 New York shall have authority to establish, subject to the approval of 13 the commissioner, training and educational requirements which shall 14 apply to all emergency medical practitioners working in the 911 system 15 of the city of New York and to determine protocols for the delivery of 16 emergency medical care, including those related to staffing, in the 911 17 system of the city of New York. Such training and educational require- 18 ments and protocols for the delivery of care shall be at least equal or 19 comparable to those applicable to emergency medical service practition- 20 ers in other areas of the state. 21 § 7. This act shall take effect six months after it shall have become 22 a law.