SB 976

Community emergency medical services grants

This bill requires the Department of Health Services to award grants to six emergency medical services (EMS) programs that are conducted by a county, city, village, or town, or any combination thereof, to provide community EMS and hire a full-time community paramedic or community EMS practitioner. DHS must prioritize awarding the grants to two rural, two suburban, and two urban EMS programs. The bill provides $600,000 for the grants. If funding is available after DHS awards the grants to six EMS programs, the bill allows DHS to award a grant to a seventh EMS program. The bill prohibits DHS from awarding a grant to an EMS program that already employs a community paramedic or community EMS practitioner. Within one year after receiving a grant, the bill requires grant recipients to submit a report to DHS and the legislature detailing the effectiveness of the grant.

Under current law, community paramedics and community EMS practitioners are licensed paramedics or EMS practitioners who have two years of experience, have completed a DHS-approved training program, have obtained DHS approval to provide services, and provide services in affiliation with a community EMS provider, hospital, clinic, or physician that are not duplicative of services already being provided to a patient.

Grants for falls prevention awareness and initiatives

The bill also directs DHS to award a grant in the amount of $200,000 in both fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging for the purpose of statewide falls prevention awareness and initiatives and appropriates $200,000 in both fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 for that purpose.