Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2579

Introduced
1/24/24  
Refer
1/24/24  
Report Pass
2/5/24  
Engrossed
2/23/24  
Refer
2/28/24  
Report Pass
3/19/24  

Caption

Authorizing the board of emergency medical services to distribute non-prescription over-the-counter medications.

Impact

The bill has implications for state laws governing emergency medical services, specifically those laid out in K.S.A. 65-6144. By authorizing emergency medical responders to distribute specific non-prescription medications, the bill seeks to address potential gaps in healthcare access during emergencies. This aligns with trends in emergency care that emphasize quick and efficient treatment options, potentially reducing the need for patients to visit medical facilities for basic medications.

Summary

House Bill 2579 seeks to enhance the capabilities of emergency medical responders by authorizing them to distribute non-prescription over-the-counter medications. This bill amends existing statutes regarding the board of emergency medical services and aims to expand the scope of practice for emergency medical responders to include administering certain medications without a prescription. The legislative intent is to improve immediate care provided during emergencies and ensure that responders are equipped to handle various medical situations effectively.

Contention

While the bill passed unanimously in the House with a vote of 120-0, there may be underlying concerns regarding the potential risks associated with expanding responders' roles. Some legislators and healthcare professionals might voice apprehensions about ensuring that responders are adequately trained to distribute these medications and manage any complications resulting from their use. Thus, the emphasis on training requirements and medical protocols will be crucial to its implementation, ensuring that patient safety remains a priority amidst the expanded capabilities.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB287

House Substitute for SB 287 by Committee on Health and Human Services - Prohibiting a healthcare provider from administering medication, diagnostic tests or conducting ongoing behavioral health treatments to a minor in a school facility without parental consent, enacting the no patient left alone act to require medical care facilities to allow in-person visitation in certain circumstances, expanding licensure of rural emergency hospitals that meet criteria between January 2015 and December 2020 and authorizing emergency medical responders to distribute non prescription over-the-counter medications.

KS HB2039

Adding maternity center to the definition of healthcare provider for purposes of the healthcare provider insurance availability act, amending definitions in the Kansas credentialing act to provide that certain entities providing physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology are not home health agencies, clarifying that the authorized activities of paramedics, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical technicians and emergency medical responders may be authorized upon the order of a healthcare professional, permitting certain ambulance services to offer service for less than 24 hours per day, every day of the year, and requiring entities that control automated external defibrillators to register the device with the emergency medical services board.

KS HB2280

Adding a citation to the code of federal regulations to the definition of veteran and disabled veteran and removing the active requirement from military service members for occupational licensure.

KS HB2547

Pertaining to the regulation of certain drugs, authorizing schools to maintain stock supplies of emergency medication kits for certain life-threatening conditions and adding and removing certain substances in schedules I, II, IV and V of the uniform controlled substances act and making conforming changes to the criminal code definition of fentanyl-related controlled substances.

KS SF3087

Restrictions placed on the sale of certain over-the-counter allergy medications modifications

KS SB135

Creating the medical cannabis regulation act to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and use of medical cannabis.

KS HB2555

Authorizing schools to maintain emergency albuterol kits and administer such medication in emergency situations.

KS SB171

Creating the veterans first medical cannabis act to regulate the cultivation, distribution, sale, possession and use of medical cannabis.

KS SB294

Enacting the Kansas medical cannabis act to authorize the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and use of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products.

KS HB2390

House Substitute for HB 2390 by Committee on Public Health and Welfare - Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of acquired and related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or contagious diseases and repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.