Item Description:
title
Adopt revised Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Council Bylaws
end
Resolution:
body
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners adopts the revisions to Hennepin County EMS Council Bylaws.
end
Background:
After the Hennepin County Board's approval on June 7, 2022, of an amended version of Ordinance 9, the EMS Council's Executive Committee reviewed the scope and function of the Council to align membership and committee work with the new responsibilities and authority given to the Council in the amended Ordinance.
The Executive Committee also sought to address concerns from licensed 9-1-1 EMS Providers with Primary Service Areas (PSAs) in Hennepin County regarding overrepresentation of hospitals on the Council. Ordinance 9 is an EMS ordinance that regulates licensed 9-1-1 EMS Providers and their secondary Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs); the ordinance does not regulate hospitals.
As a result of this review, the Executive Committee proposed to eliminate the Ambulance Service Personnel Subcommittee of the EMS Medical Directors Committee due to a lack of ongoing work that had previously focused on recurring updates to the EMS Council protocol book, which was discontinued in 2020. Instead, the Executive Committee recommended that paramedics and/or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) should be invited as technical experts on committees, when needed, for specific agenda items and projects. The Executive Committee also recommended that the dedicated paramedic seat should continue on the EMS Council.
The Council's remaining standing committees are: 1) Executive Committee, 2) EMS Medical Directors Committee, 3) Operations and Communications Committee, 4) Quality Standards Committee, and 5) Medical Care and Standards Committee. All committees report to the EMS Council.
Membership changes made to the Council and committees are shown in the 2023 EMS Council Bylaws, which were approved by the Council on Oct. 12, 2023...
Click here for full text