Association Update: September 2021

NAEMT Report: COVID Will Have Continued Impact on EMS

A national survey of EMS leaders by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians found COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on EMS agencies and personnel across the country. Responses from 435 agency leaders from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico indicated much of the EMS workforce is operating with high levels of stress, fatigue, and burnout; workforce shortages are exacerbating an already-challenging environment; financial challenges continue to plague EMS across all delivery models, and rural EMS in particular is in crisis; federal, state, and local leaders need to further encourage public health to work with EMS; and the federal government should adjust the ambulance fee schedule to cover the cost of all care provided by EMS, including treatment in place, transport to alternative destinations, telemedicine, and community paramedicine.

Despite all these challenges, the report found, EMS has demonstrated its ability to provide timely, cost-effective, patient-centered care throughout the pandemic. Read more at www.naemt.org/docs/default-source/covid-19/covid-impact-survey-06-03-2021.pdf. 

—NAEMT

SAMHSA Funds 9-8-8 Suicide Lifeline

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced that Vibrant Emotional Health will be the administrator of the new 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Vibrant, in partnership with SAMHSA, has administered the Lifeline since its creation in 2005. This funding also supports the national Disaster Distress Helpline, a subnetwork of the Lifeline. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 9-8-8 as the new three-digit number for a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on July 16, 2020. The U.S. Senate passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act establishing it in May 2020, and the House of Representatives passed the legislation the following September. President Donald Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 into law on October 17, 2020. 

The requirement for phone service providers to transition to 9-8-8 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will take effect on July 16, 2022.

—NASEMSO

New Guide Covers Legal Considerations for Body-Worn Cameras in EMS

Although body-worn cameras aren’t yet widely used in EMS, interest is growing, and organizations that have employed them have seen significant benefits—and some limitations. To help guide agencies, the National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical Assistance Center (NEMSIS TAC), in cooperation with the EMS law firm Page, Wolfberg, & Wirth, has released the EMS Body-Worn Camera Quickstart Guide: Legal Considerations for EMS Agencies. The guide provides an overview of general legal issues for EMS agencies thinking about using body-worn cameras.

Legal considerations for EMS agencies covered in the new document include federal HIPAA standards; state invasion-of-privacy laws; state wiretap/eavesdropping laws; state open-records laws; data-retention requirements; and developing a body-worn camera policy. Find the document at https://nemsis.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/EMS-Body-worn-Camera-Quickstart-Guide_Legal-Considerations_06.2021.pdf. 

—NHTSA Office of EMS