§ 25-3.5-102 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 25-3.5-102

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 25: Public
• Art.: Emergency Medical and Trauma Services

Text

(1) The general assembly hereby
declares that it is in the public interest to provide available, coordinated, and quality
emergency medical and trauma services to the people of this state. It is the intent
of the general assembly in enacting this article to establish an emergency medical
and trauma services system, consisting of at least treatment, transportation,
communication, and documentation subsystems, designed to prevent premature
mortality and to reduce the morbidity that arises from critical injuries, exposure to
poisonous substances, and illnesses.

(2) To effect this end, the general assembly finds it necessary that the
department of public health and environment assist, when requested by local
government entities, in planning and implementing any one of such subsystems so
that it meets local and regional needs and requirements and that the department
coordinate local systems so that they interface with an overall state system
providing maximally effective emergency medical and trauma systems.

(3) The general assembly further finds that the provision of adequate
emergency medical and trauma services on highways in all areas of the state is a
matter of statewide concern and requires state financial assistance and support.

(4) The general assembly also finds that:

(a) Colorado's emergency medical services system not only provides
individuals who are ill or injured emergency medical and trauma care twenty-four
hours per day and three hundred sixty-five days per year, but also serves as a
critical safety net for many Coloradans who might not have immediate access to
other health-care services;

(b) As highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado's emergency
medical services system augments community health, preventative health, and
public health programs throughout the state;

(c) Despite the essential nature of the emergency medical services system
and the assumption held by members of the public that, once a 911 call is placed, an
ambulance will quickly arrive, emergency medical services are not a required
service in Colorado;

(d) While emergency medical services are generally available throughout the
state, some Coloradans no longer have access to a Colorado-based emergency
medical services system, and other Colorado communities are at risk of losing their
emergency medical services;

(e) The instability and unsustainability of emergency medical services in
some parts of the state puts lives at risk;

(f) Ground ambulance service is the only component of Colorado's
emergency medical system that is not subject to statewide standardization and
regulation, which statewide standardization and regulation would provide medical
and operational benefits and consumer protections;

(g) The lack of statewide standardization and regulation for ground
ambulance services inhibits consumer protections and investigations and
adjudication of consumer complaints because the department lacks authority to
investigate and adjudicate any complaints related to ground ambulances; and

(h) To ensure sustainability of, and equitable access to, emergency medical
services in Colorado, a comprehensive assessment of the emergency medical
services system, along with recommendations for modernizing and sustaining the
emergency medical services system, should be performed.

Legislative History

Source: L. 77: Entire article added, p. 1278, � 2, effective January 1, 1978. L. 83: (1) amended, p. 1055, � 2, effective July 1. L. 89: (3) added, p. 1148, � 1, effective July 1. L. 94: (2) amended, p. 2757, � 417, effective July 1. L. 2000: Entire section amended, p. 525, � 2, effective July 1. L. 2022: (4) added, (SB 22-225), ch. 291, p. 2086, � 1, effective June 1.