US Senator Bill Cassidy, (R-LA) announced the passage of the Protecting Patients Access to Emergency Medications Act, in the US Senate. Senator Cassidy coauthored this bipartisan legislation with US Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO). This act would ensure emergency medical service (EMS) professionals have the ability to provide life-saving drugs in the event of a medical emergency. The bill now awaits a vote in the US House of Representatives.
“During a medical emergency, the ability to quickly provide life-saving drugs can make all the difference,” Dr. Cassidy. “This legislation will ensure our first responders have access to these drugs and can save more lives.
The Protecting Patients Access to Emergency Medications Act would update regulations in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), allowing EMS professionals to speedily administer life-saving drugs to patients without direct physician supervision – potentially enabling them to save patients’ lives.
The act passed the Senate as an Amendment In the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 304. To read the legislation, click here.
The following organizations have expressed their strong support for the legislation: American Ambulance Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, Association of Critical Care Transport, Emergency Nurses Association, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Association of EMS Physicians, and National Association of State EMS Officials.