TITLE 23
Health and Safety
CHAPTER 23-78.1
Stroke Prevention and Treatment Act of 2009
SECTION 23-78.1-5
§ 23-78.1-5 Emergency medical services
providers; triage and transportation of stroke patients.
(a) The department of health, division of emergency medical services and the
ambulance service advisory board shall adopt and distribute a nationally
recognized standardized assessment tool for stroke. The division of emergency
medical services shall post this stroke assessment tool on its website and
provide a copy of the assessment tool to each licensed emergency medical
services provider no later than January 1, 2010. Each licensed emergency
medical services provider must use the stroke-triage assessment tool provided
by the department of health, division of emergency medical services;
(b) The department of health, division of emergency medical
services and the ambulance service advisory board shall establish pre-hospital
care protocols related to the assessment, treatment, and transport of stroke
patients by licensed, emergency medical services providers in this state. Such
protocols may include plans for the triage and transport of acute stroke
patients to the closest comprehensive or primary stroke center as appropriate
and within a specified timeframe of onset of symptoms. The stroke pre-hospital
care protocols shall be reviewed on an annual basis;
(c) By June 1 of each year, the department of health,
division of emergency medical services (emergency medical services), shall send
the list of comprehensive and primary stroke centers to each licensed emergency
medical services agency in this state and shall post a list of comprehensive
and primary stroke centers on the division of emergency medical services
website. For the purposes of this chapter, the division of emergency medical
services may include comprehensive and primary stroke centers in Massachusetts
and Connecticut that are certified by the joint commission, or are otherwise
designated by that state's department of public health as meeting the criteria
for comprehensive or primary stroke centers as established by the brain attack
coalition;
(d) Each emergency medical services provider must comply with
all sections of this chapter by June 1, 2010.
History of Section.
(P.L. 2009, ch. 88, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 89, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 99,
§ 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 108, § 1.)