DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 50

ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH AND COMMUNITY PARAMEDICINE SERVICES IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, Mobile Integrated Health Care (MIH) and Community Paramedicine are new innovative patient-centered delivery models of health care services that utilize mobile resources to deliver care and services to patients in an out‐of‐hospital environment in coordination with healthcare facilities or other healthcare providers; and

WHEREAS, today as a result of MIH and Community Paramedicine, EMS agencies across the country of all sizes and types are partnering with hospitals, primary care physicians, nurses, and mental health and social services providers on innovative programs that both navigate patients to the right level of care as well as achieve goals of improved care and lower costs; and

WHEREAS, clinical research studies comparing patients in traditional hospitals with patients who received hospital-level care at home through MIH and Community Paramedicine have found that those who received in-home care experienced fewer readmissions, lower mortality rates, reduced falls, and higher patient satisfaction rates; and

WHEREAS, MIH and Community Paramedicine services have the potential to support broader equitable access to patient-centered health care services for Delawareans and allow patients to receive care at home where they are most comfortable; and

WHEREAS, Delaware hospitals have already developed partnerships with EMS and other medical providers to enact MIH and Community Paramedicine programs; and

WHEREAS, the creation of these programs was made possible due to temporary federal law flexibilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which aimed to relieve strain from healthcare systems while still providing patient care access; and

WHEREAS, a number of States have taken action ahead of the expiration of the federal Public Health Emergency to incorporate MIH and Community Paramedicine services into existing regulatory structures; and

WHEREAS, there are opportunities for stakeholders in Delaware to also to examine how to support the growth of MIH and Community Paramedicine services, including the existing professional licensing, accreditation, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the 152 ^nd General Assembly, the House of Representatives concurring therein, recognizes the importance of Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine to serving the healthcare needs of Delawareans.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly encourages stakeholders, including but not limited to state agencies and regulatory bodies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, EMS, medical professionals, and home and community care service providers, to examine how to integrate MIH and Community Paramedicine into existing regulatory structures.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution acknowledges the importance of Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine and encourages stakeholders to collaborate and support its expansion.

Author: Senator Walsh