As Introduced

134th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 23

2021-2022

A BILL

To amend section 4765.16 and to enact sections 109.7410 and 4765.162 of the Revised Code to require emergency medical service personnel and peace officers to undergo dementia-related training.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 4765.16 be amended and sections 109.7410 and 4765.162 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 109.7410. (A) As used in this section, "dementia" includes Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

(B) The attorney general, in consultation with the department of aging, shall adopt, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code or pursuant to section 109.74 of the Revised Code, rules governing the training of peace officers in identifying and interacting with individuals with dementia. The rules shall specify both of the following:

(1) The amount of dementia-related training, which shall be at least two hours of instruction, that is necessary for satisfactory completion of basic training programs at approved peace officer training schools;

(2) The amount of dementia-related training, which shall be at least one hour of instruction, that may be credited for continuing professional training.

(1) Identifying individuals with dementia, including psychiatric and behavioral symptoms of dementia;

(2) Respectful and effective communication techniques for communicating with individuals with dementia and their caregivers;

(3) Techniques for addressing the behavioral symptoms of dementia, including alternatives to physical restraint;

(4) Identifying and reporting incidents of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals with dementia to the office of the attorney general;

(5) Protocols for contacting caregivers when an individual with dementia is found wandering or during an emergency or crisis situation;

(6) Local resources available for individuals with dementia;

(7) Local and national organizations that assist peace officers with locating missing and wandering individuals with dementia and returning them to their caregivers.

Sec. 4765.16. (A) All courses offered through an emergency medical services training program or an emergency medical services continuing education program, other than an ambulance driving course and the dementia-related training course developed under section 4765.162 of the Revised Code, shall be developed under the direction of a physician who specializes in emergency medicine. Each course that deals with trauma care shall be developed in consultation with a physician who specializes in trauma surgery. ~~Except~~

Except as specified by the state board of emergency medical, fire, and transportation services pursuant to rules adopted under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code, each course offered through a training program or continuing education program shall be taught by a person who holds the appropriate certificate to teach issued under section 4765.23 of the Revised Code.

(B) A training program for first responders shall meet the standards established in rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code. The program shall include courses in ~~both~~ each of the following areas for at least the number of hours established by the board's rules:

(1) Emergency victim care;

(2) Reading and interpreting a trauma victim's vital signs;

(3) Identifying and interacting with individuals with dementia, as provided in the dementia-related training course developed under section 4765.162 of the Revised Code.

(C) A training program for emergency medical technicians-basic shall meet the standards established in rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code. The program shall include courses in each of the following areas for at least the number of hours established by the board's rules:

(1) Emergency victim care;

(2) Reading and interpreting a trauma victim's vital signs;

(3) Triage protocols for adult and pediatric trauma victims;

(4) In-hospital training;

(5) Clinical training;

(6) Training as an ambulance driver;

(7) Identifying and interacting with individuals with dementia, as provided in the dementia-related training course developed under section 4765.162 of the Revised Code.

Each operator of a training program for emergency medical technicians-basic shall allow any pupil in the twelfth grade in a secondary school who is at least seventeen years old and who otherwise meets the requirements for admission into such a training program to be admitted to and complete the program and, as part of the training, to ride in an ambulance with emergency medical technicians-basic, emergency medical technicians-intermediate, and emergency medical technicians-paramedic. Each emergency medical service organization shall allow pupils participating in training programs to ride in an ambulance with emergency medical technicians-basic, advanced emergency medical technicians-intermediate, and emergency medical technicians-paramedic.

(D) A training program for emergency medical technicians-intermediate shall meet the standards established in rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code. The program shall include, or require as a prerequisite, the training specified in division (C) of this section and courses in each of the following areas for at least the number of hours established by the board's rules:

(1) Recognizing symptoms of life-threatening allergic reactions and in calculating proper dosage levels and administering injections of epinephrine to persons who suffer life-threatening allergic reactions, conducted in accordance with rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code;

(2) Venous access procedures;

(3) Cardiac monitoring and electrical interventions to support or correct the cardiac function.

(E) A training program for emergency medical technicians-paramedic shall meet the standards established in rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code. The program shall include, or require as a prerequisite, the training specified in divisions (C) and (D) of this section and courses in each of the following areas for at least the number of hours established by the board's rules:

(1) Medical terminology;

(2) Venous access procedures;

(3) Airway procedures;

(4) Patient assessment and triage;

(5) Acute cardiac care, including administration of parenteral injections, electrical interventions, and other emergency medical services;

(6) Emergency and trauma victim care beyond that required under division (C) of this section;

(7) Clinical training beyond that required under division (C) of this section.

(F) A continuing education program for first responders, EMTs-basic, EMTs-I, or paramedics shall meet the standards established in rules adopted by the board under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code. A continuing education program shall include instruction and training in subjects established by the board's rules for at least the number of hours established by the board's rules. A continuing education program also shall include instruction in identifying and interacting with individuals with dementia, as provided in the dementia-related training course developed under section 4765.162 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4765.162. (A) As used in this section, "dementia" includes Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

(B) The state board of emergency medical, fire, and transportation services, in consultation with the department of aging, shall develop a dementia-related training course to be included in all emergency medical services training programs accredited under section 4765.15 of the Revised Code and all emergency medical services continuing education programs approved under that section.

(C) The board shall adopt rules under section 4765.11 of the Revised Code governing the dementia-related training course developed under this section. The rules shall specify both of the following:

(1) The amount of training, which shall be at least two hours of instruction, that is necessary for satisfactory completion of the dementia-related training course included in an emergency medical services training program;

(2) The amount of training, which shall be at least one hour of instruction, that is necessary for satisfactory completion of the dementia-related training course included in an emergency medical services continuing education program.

(D) The dementia-related training course developed under this section shall include instruction in all of the following:

(1) Identifying individuals with dementia, including psychiatric and behavioral symptoms of dementia and common medical emergencies experienced by individuals with dementia;

(2) Respectful and effective communication techniques for communicating with individuals with dementia and their caregivers;

(3) Techniques for addressing the behavioral symptoms of dementia during the administration of emergency medical treatment;

(4) Identifying and reporting incidents of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals with dementia to the office of the attorney general;

(5) Protocols for contacting caregivers when an individual with dementia is found wandering or during an emergency or crisis situation;

(6) Local resources available for individuals with dementia;

(7) Local and national organizations that assist emergency medical service personnel with locating missing and wandering individuals with dementia and returning them to their caregivers.

Section 2. That existing section 4765.16 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.