ASSEMBLY, No. 308

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  MICHELE MATSIKOUDIS

District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Rumpf

SYNOPSIS

     Expands definition of basis life support to include blood glucose monitoring.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning basic life support services and amending P.L.1985, c.351.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1. Section 1 of P.L.1985, c.351 (C.26:2K-21) is amended to read as follows:   

     As used in this act:

     1     a.  "Board" means the State Board of Medical Examiners;

     b.    "Basic life support" means a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes patient stabilization, airway clearance, blood glucose monitoring, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the commissioner;

     c.     "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the State Department of Health;

     d.    "Department" means the State Department of Health;

     e.     "Emergency service" means a program in a hospital staffed 24 hours a day by licensed physicians trained in emergency medicine;

     f.     "EMT-intermediate" means a person trained in intermediate life support services and certified by the commissioner to render intermediate life support services as part of an authorized pre-hospital intermediate life support pilot program;

     g.    "Inter-hospital care" means those emergency medical services rendered to emergency patients in preparation for transportation and during transportation between emergency treatment facilities, and upon arrival within those facilities;

     h.    "Intermediate life support program" means a program authorized under this act to provide pre-hospital intermediate life support services;

     i.     "Intermediate life support services" means an intermediate level of pre-hospital, inter-hospital, and emergency service care which includes basic life support functions, cardiac monitoring, cardiac defibrillation, the use of the esophageal obturator airway, [and] the use of military anti-shock trousers, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the commissioner;

     j.     "Pre-hospital care" means those emergency medical services rendered to emergency patients before and during transportation to emergency treatment facilities, and upon arrival within those facilities.

(cf: P.L.1985, c.351, s.1)

     2.    The Commissioner of Health shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) as shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this act, including rules and regulations ensuring that each EMT-Basic training program includes adequate instruction and training on blood glucose monitoring.

     3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

     This bill expands the definition of basic life support to include blood glucose monitoring.

     Under current law, "basic life support" means a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes patient stabilization, airway clearance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the Commissioner of Health (commissioner).  This bill amends the definition of “basic life support” to include blood glucose monitoring and directs the commissioner to adopt rules and regulations ensuring that each EMT-Basic training program includes adequate instruction and training on blood glucose monitoring.