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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Wirth
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
02/23/07
HM 20
SHORT TITLE Improve Emergency Medical Services
SB
ANALYST Hanika Ortiz
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
$.1 see
narrative
recurring General
fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Memorial 20 requests that the Governor appoint a task force to study ways to improve the
statewide system of emergency medical services in New Mexico. The emergency medical services
task force will be required to report its findings and recommendations to the interim legislative
health and human services committee by October 2007.
The memorial further provides the following:
•
In every community and geographical area of New Mexico, emergency medical services are
important and life-saving to residents who have significant injuries or life-threatening
illnesses.
•
Residents of and visitors to New Mexico who are seriously injured or critically ill are entitled
to receive the highest level of competent emergency medical care.
•
Emergency medical services are provided by volunteers and paid professionals in every
community in New Mexico.
•
For the last ten years, the emergency medical services system and emergency medical service
providers have received a significant reduction of federal, state and local funding for
equipment, personnel, training and education needed for emergency medical service delivery
and system infrastructure.
•
Fewer individuals are able to volunteer to serve the community as emergency medical service
personnel.
pg_0002
House Memorial 20 – Page
2
•
Governmental oversight and accountability for ensuring the competent delivery of emergency
medical services has been divided among several independent governmental agencies, none
of which has overall responsibility for guaranteeing the residents of New Mexico competent
provision of emergency medical.
•
It has been repeatedly demonstrated that adequately funded and administered emergency
medical care significantly reduces mortality and morbidity in adults and children.
•
The emergency medical service system infrastructure at the state and regional levels is
inadequately funded by the state and the amount of federal support has declined dramatically
in the last eight years.
•
The emergency medical system in New Mexico must be improved to ensure current and
future delivery of emergency medical services.
The memorial further resolves that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the
secretary of health, the chair of the public regulation commission, the statewide emergency medical
services advisory committee and the New Mexico association of counties.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Fiscal impact for state agencies will be determined by how often the task force meets; and, any
costs incurred to state agencies as a result of the implementation of recommendations made by
the task force.
State law allows for each member of an advisory committee to receive compensation for travel
and per diem expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within budgeted amounts and
in accordance with the provisions of the Per Diem and Mileage Act, Sections 10-8-1 to 10-8-8
NMSA 1978.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The task force will consist of Governor appointments from three emergency medical services
regions, the statewide emergency medical services advisory committee, the rural and urban
volunteer emergency medical services, the state firefighters association, the state fire chiefs
association, the trauma advisory committee, the statewide organization representing emergency
medical technicians, the statewide organization representing emergency physicians and the New
Mexico association of counties.
The duties of the task force will include the following:
•
to study and make recommendations to ensure the statewide delivery of emergency medical
care in New Mexico;
•
identify a unified governmental oversight structure that ensures accountable and responsible
emergency medical services, adequate emergency medical service personnel and funding
necessary to ensure a statewide emergency medical services system;
•
evaluate the level of funding, equipment, training and educational needs for volunteer and
non-volunteer providers of rural and urban emergency medical services in New Mexico.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
Relates to The Governor’s Performance and Accountability Contract; Goal 6, Task 6.6 Improve
the trauma care.
pg_0003
House Memorial 20 – Page
3
Relates to the DOH FY08 Strategic Plan: Program Area 3, Task 2: Improve the Trauma Care
System across the State.
Relates to the State of New Mexico 2006 Comprehensive Strategic Health Plan, Chapter Ten:
Health Emergency Management;
•
Goal 1: Increase and fortify human and material resources to respond to health
emergencies,
•
Goal 2: New Mexico communities are prepared to respond to a public health emergency,
•
Goal 4: Improve the trauma care system across New Mexico.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The emergency medical services task force's report will address the need for accountable
administrative oversight, adequate financing for the statewide emergency medical services system,
the recruitment and retention of volunteers and other issues to improve the emergency medical
services system and report its findings and recommendations to the interim legislative health and
human services committee by October 2007.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
The memorial is unclear if the DOH, DPS or PRC (for insurance issues) is welcome to
participate on the task force.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
New Mexico will have to rely on an existing task force or other advisory committees (the
statewide emergency medical services advisory committee, for instance) to gather data for a
study of ways to improve the statewide system of emergency medical services in New Mexico.
AHO/mt