Establishes EMT training stipend program to remedy shortage of MICT paramedics and assist 10 students per year who are public or private paramedics and cannot access a program. Appropriates unspecified amount. Requires each county to match funds expended for the respective county's trainee stipend. (SD3)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there is currently a shortage of at least fifty mobile intensive care technicians or paramedics in Hawaii. The Emergency Medical Services Strategic Planning for the Future conference in 2003, estimated that two hundred fifty mobile intensive care technicians will be needed within the next five years to fully staff the system. This estimate includes current shortages, attrition, and anticipated system growth (e.g., the federal firefighting agency had six mobile intensive care technicians and anticipated needing twenty-nine before the end of 2007).

The lack of local training has made the shortage even more critical. Emergency medical technicians leave the industry because they are unable to advance without financial assistance. Others take correspondence classes in nursing or other related health care fields. Currently, there are at least ten students who wish to enter the next mobile intensive care technician training program being offered on Maui, which will possibly be scheduled in early 2007. Without financial assistance of some type, it is unlikely that many of them will be able to attend.

The prime recruiting grounds for the federal firefighting agency is the city and county of Honolulu mobile intensive care technician workforce, which is already critically short-staffed. All providers look increasingly to paramedics who have trained on the mainland to staff Hawaii's ambulances. These mainland recruits are rarely employed beyond two years in the Hawaii system before returning to the mainland.

It is widely recognized that the moneys distributed for mobile intensive care technician workforce development are not equitable. Unless the State can provide financial stipends to non-civil service employees who train in an accredited program, the crisis will quickly get worse.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the department of health to establish a training stipend program for emergency medical technicians who do not have access to a training stipend program and who want to advance in their chosen profession by enrolling in a state-qualified mobile intensive care technician training program.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $       , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, to establish the emergency medical technician training stipend program to remedy the shortage of mobile intensive care technicians/paramedics in Hawaii and to assist, through a state-qualified mobile intensive care technician program, ten students per year who are public or private paramedics and currently do not have access to a training stipend program; provided that no funds shall be expended for trainee stipends unless the county matches the funds expended on a trainee who is a resident of that respective county on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.