Video & Transcript Research : 'paramedic'
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TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Committee on Health and Human Services (Part I) May 21st, 2025
Health & Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- As a paramedic, I carry that truth with me every day.
- Licensed paramedics are often the first on the scene in emergencies.
- Paramedic. Yes ma'am. Is that correct? Correct. Your paramedic job. Do you still do paramedic?
- Specifically in paramedics, do you? Yes, I'm a licensed paramedic.
- All the way up to paramedic.
Bills:
HB1106, HB3284, HB541, HB713, HB1403, HB1586, HB1942, HB2070, HB2844, HB2851, HB3151, HB3749, HB3940, HB3963, HB4454, HB4466, HB4795, HB5154, HB5394, SB1357, HB1052, HB4099, HB4638, HB5147
Keywords:
child abuse, neglect, gender identity, sexual orientation, child welfare, marriage, family, Texas Commission, family welfare, marriage support, stability, premarital education, child development, strong families, direct patient care, healthcare, physicians, medical services, insurance regulation, maternal health
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
Committee on Health and Human Services - 03/19/25
Health and Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- Minnesota um with community paramedics Minnesota um with community paramedics and<00:01:02.640><
- Fenel talked about and moving them into the paramedic level.
- So paramedics leave than we are come in.
- and an ambulance or two EMT, a paramedic and an ambulance or two paramedics<00:34:39.040>
or < - You allowed paramedics or two EMTs.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs (02/11/2026)
Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
Committee on Health and Human Services - 02/06/25
Health and Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- I don't know, everybody probably knows right now, but I'm a firefighter paramedic in my industry.
- <00:02:18.480>
um <00:02:18.680>in <00:02:18.840>my paramedic um in my paramedic - <00:37:11.040>
scholarship referred to that paramedic scholarship referred to that paramedic - We've got this,” and that Sprint paramedic can be available for other activities.
- We've got this,” and that Sprint paramedic can be available for other activities.
Summary:
The Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee met on February 6, 2025, for an update on emergency medical services (EMS) policy and implementation. Senator Seberger described the work of the EMS Task Force, which traveled statewide to hear concerns from providers about staffing, reimbursement, and retention. She said the task force led to the Sprint Medic model and two innovation zones in Otter Tail and St. Louis counties, and she urged continued monitoring and possible reconstitution of the task force to evaluate what is working and what could be expanded statewide. She also said future EMS work should continue to explore alternative response models and telemedicine, but that the most immediate need is additional funding, especially to address unpaid non-transport calls.
Dylan Ferguson, director of the newly formed Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services, gave a detailed update on the office’s structure and priorities after the transition from the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. He described the office’s three divisions, the appointment of deputy directors, the first meetings of the advisory councils, and work on a statewide EMS strategic plan. He also reviewed the $24 million emergency ambulance aid program, explaining its 40-40-20 formula, the emphasis on rural services, the reporting and spending deadlines, and the positive response from ambulance providers. He noted that the $6 million Sprint paramedic grant program is underway, with Otter Tail County moving forward and St. Louis County still finalizing its application.
Ferguson also outlined the office’s budget request for modest staffing and contract-cost increases, two rulemaking efforts to update outdated ambulance vehicle standards and expand medication options for basic life support services, and ongoing data collection on workforce needs, violence against EMS providers, and ambulance crashes. He highlighted the paramedic scholarship program administered by the Office of Higher Education, saying nearly 300 scholarships have been awarded. Members and Senator Seberger praised the EMS reforms and emphasized that non-transport calls create significant unreimbursed costs, especially for rural and volunteer services, but no votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House/Senate Press Conference 4/8/25
Transcript Highlights:
- This contributes to burnout and shortages of EMTs and paramedics, which can lead to longer response times
- which can which can lead to paramedics which can which can lead to longer<00:02:21.840>
response< - <00:03:36.959>
scholarship as the EMT and paramedic scholarship as the EMT and paramedic scholarship - The paramedic scholarship that was put out through higher ed.
- Um, you could apply for up to $5,000 per year to go to paramedic school as an existing EMT.
Summary:
The meeting focused on the financial and workforce crisis facing Minnesota emergency medical services, especially ground ambulance providers in rural areas. Michael Johnson of the Minnesota Ambulance Association said EMS serves more than 600,000 Minnesotans a year and argued that reimbursement rates do not cover the cost of readiness, staffing, and 24/7 response. He and others called for ongoing EMS sustainability funding of about $50 million, higher Medicaid reimbursement, and continued support for EMT/paramedic scholarships, first responder training, and high school EMS programs.
Senator Grant Hoschild and Representative Jeff Backer echoed the urgency, describing EMS as a moral imperative and emphasizing that rural communities cannot wait for ambulances when lives are at risk. Backer, who also volunteers as an EMT, described staffing shortages, reliance on volunteers, and a recent cardiac arrest response to illustrate the importance of local EMS coverage. Becca Hitch of PUM Area EMS said rural services are paid only when patients are transported, not for responding or treating on scene, and that one-time aid helped but did not solve underlying deficits.
Bradley Peterson of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said local governments that hold ambulance licenses are being forced to absorb unrecovered costs through property taxes, and that state support is needed to prevent service failures and rising local burdens. In response to questions, speakers said a 2023 statewide study found about $120 million in need, with roughly half tied to operational deficits and half to volunteer support; last year’s aid included about $24 million for rural services and some improvements in volunteer call pay and equipment needs. They also discussed a proposed 10% Medicaid increase, possible special tax district ideas, and the need to target any new funding toward rural services most at risk.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- The response continued that they can practice as a state EMT or paramedic when called.
- So they're razor sharp when it comes to being paramedics.
- And then... intermediate that's about another four months, and then I guess paramedics about 12 months
- So if you have an EMT, if you have a paramedic, I would like for that paramedic to have the same set.
- If you have an EMT, if you have a paramedic, I would like for that paramedic to have the same set of
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session Feb 17th, 2025
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Officer Paul Elmstrand and firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth, who gave their lives.
- Officers Matthew Ruge, Paul Elmstrand, and firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth lost their lives as, side
- Officers Ruge and Elmstrand served our community with courage and integrity, and firefighter paramedic
- Officers Elmstrand, Ruge, and Firefighter Paramedic Finseth.
- Thank you. of silence in memory of Officer Ruge, Officer Elmstrand, and Paramedic Firefighter Finseth
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement - 04/01/25
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We need your help to remove just one of the disincentives to becoming a paramedic, a firefighter, or
- , a firefighter, or a police paramedic, a firefighter, or a police officer.<00:25:10.240>
We <00 - I was married to Walter Fulo, a firefighter paramedic, on October 8, 1983.
- I was married to Walter Fulo, a firefighter paramedic, on October 8, 1983.
- <00:32:10.240>
was <00:32:10.559>the paramedic was the paramedic was the dream.<00:32:12.640
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - 03/03/25
Judiciary and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- <01:52:39.560>
and County Association of paramedics and County Association of paramedics and - henpen County Association of paramedics henpen County Association of paramedics EMTs<01:53:38.159
- <01:54:37.040>
and increasing violence that paramedics and increasing violence that paramedics - Almost two years ago, on June 10, 2023, I was working as a paramedic.
- <02:02:38.560>
and <02:02:38.679>First countless paramedics and First countless paramedics
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Budget Review Subcommittee on Heath and Family Service. (6-3-26)
Transcript Highlights:
- I mean, you're talking about hygienists, CHWs, paramedics, you're talk and if paramedics did treat in
- I mean, you're talking about hygienists, CHWs, paramedics, you're talk and if paramedics did treat in
- I mean, you're talking about hygienists, CHWs, paramedics, you're talk and if paramedics did treat in
- I mean, you're talking about hygienists, CHWs, paramedics, and if paramedics did treat in place. >> If
- I mean, you're talking about hygienists, CHWs, paramedics, and if paramedics did treat in place. >> If
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00:00
Attendance Roll Call 00:00:20
CRISP Shared Services 00:01:39
Rural Health Transformation Plan 00:30:55, 958, all
Summary:
The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services opened its first meeting of the 2026 interim session, took roll, and moved directly into presentations. The main presentation was from Ryan Bramble of Crisp Shared Services, who described the organization’s health information exchange and health data utility model in Kentucky and other states. He emphasized that Crisp is a nonprofit, that data ownership remains with providers, and that governance is local. He also outlined the technical infrastructure, including a master patient index, cloud-based data lake, support for modern standards like FHIR and USCDI as well as older formats, and data quality tools used to normalize and standardize information. Bramble said the model is intended to reduce duplication, lower costs, and support rural providers and future use cases such as reporting, analytics, and AI-enabled decision support.
Members asked how the state can ensure the data is actually used and who should drive priorities for health care improvement. Bramble said Crisp can provide tools, expertise, and examples from other states, but local teams such as KHI and state stakeholders must tailor and lead utilization efforts. In response to questions about ownership and coordination, he stressed that successful HIE governance requires a multistakeholder body that includes hospitals, health plans, government, and other interests, with a unified approach rather than multiple competing directives. He also said the Commonwealth has an opportunity to convene those stakeholders and set clear priorities.
A senator raised concerns that responsibility for Medicaid and broader health policy has become fragmented and suggested a stronger central role for the state, possibly through the Department of Public Health, to coordinate health priorities. Bramble agreed that a single convening authority and multistakeholder governance are important, and noted that local governance should determine what data is shared and how it is used. No votes or formal actions were taken during this portion of the meeting. After Bramble’s presentation and questions, the committee was told that Secretary Stack from the cabinet would testify next on the rural health transformation plan.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Jun 21st, 2026 at 02:00 pm
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
Transcript Highlights:
- I am also a Rockland firefighter paramedic down on the South Shore.
- I am also with Rockland Firefighter Paramedic down in the South Shore.
- A lot of them are at the paramedic level, and we hear this from our members all the time.
- At the paramedic level. And we hear this from our members all the time.
- But your family member having that asthmatic emergency, they require a paramedic level of care.
Summary:
The committee first heard testimony on H. 3599, a bill concerning access to historic Indian lands and easements for landlocked tribal parcels in Massachusetts. Witnesses, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Herring Pond communities, said the bill would restore access to family lands that have long been treated as landlocked and had been denied easements by necessity in prior court rulings. They described heavy tax burdens, prior litigation, and support from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, with conditional support from the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe pending language changes. Committee members asked about the tax assessments and the status of tribal support, and the chair said the committee would follow up on possible amendments.
The committee then took up S. 2922, which would authorize an underground easement at Magazine Beach in Cambridge for the Greater Cambridge Energy Project. Eversource representatives said the easement is needed for a transmission line connecting the Brighton and Kendall Square substations, supporting grid reliability and the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition. They said DCR would receive fair market value and replacement land in Wendell to satisfy Article 97 requirements. No objections were raised, and the panel’s testimony concluded without a vote recorded in the transcript.
Most of the hearing focused on H. 5047, which would authorize the Commonwealth to take the Norwood Hospital site by eminent domain so the hospital can be restored. Sponsors, local officials, hospital task force members, EMS and fire representatives, a chamber of commerce leader, and a former hospital administrator all argued that the 2020 flood and Steward’s bankruptcy left the region without adequate care, causing longer ambulance transports, emergency room boarding, staffing strain, and economic losses. They said the site remains a partially completed shell, that the state should be able to acquire it and bring in a nonprofit operator, and that the taking would not require state funding because an operator would pay the acquisition costs. Committee members from both chambers expressed support and asked about costs, timing, infrastructure, and whether a nonprofit operator is being pursued. The chair took the bill under advisement after extensive testimony; no vote was taken in the transcript.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Community Safety Oct 29th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- So many calls I respond to by our firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics.
- So many calls I respond to by our firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics.
- It's taking a heavy toll on police, EMTs, and paramedics, and they need help too.
- So when you get a paramedic in North Mason, we've got two options.
- We have what is called a community resource paramedic division.
Summary:
The Community Safety Committee held an interim work session on crisis response, with members and witnesses discussing how Washington can better integrate 911, 988, mobile crisis, co-response, and alternative response models for behavioral health crises in public spaces. Travis Parker opened with an overview of the Sequential Intercept Model and the crisis care continuum, emphasizing early intervention, 988 access, regional coordination, navigators and peer support, and the need for sustainable braided funding. Several Washington witnesses then described current programs and system gaps, including the growth of co-response teams, the importance of integrating 911 and 988 rather than treating them as competing systems, and the need to reduce unnecessary emergency room use and improve first responder wellness and training.
City, fire, and crisis-system representatives described local challenges and reforms. Kim Hendrickson of Poulsbo said most crisis calls still come through 911 and urged better coordination among field-based teams, more behavioral health training for fire/EMS, and more alternatives to ER transport. Laura Pippen, a designated crisis responder, described a strained involuntary treatment system, fewer DCRs statewide, difficulty getting law enforcement support for transports, and limited facility capacity, especially for substance use disorder. Jennifer Stuber and South County Fire’s Keith Sharp highlighted workforce training, a crisis responder certificate program, and first responder wellness efforts. Research witnesses Evan Lauder and James Pine said the evidence is still developing but generally supports on-scene resolution, reduced ED transport and detention in some models, and the importance of clear dispatch protocols, coordination, and ongoing evaluation.
Dispatch and program operators then gave examples of how systems are working in practice. Katie Myers of Washington APCO/NENA said 911 remains essential, but needs evidence-based triage protocols, liability protections, and additional funding if it is expected to take on more crisis-response responsibilities. Whatcom County described embedding a “community connector” in the 911 center to coordinate alternative response, while ValleyCom reported that its 988 diversion pilot transferred 2,165 calls with 98% resolved through 988/211 without returning to 911. National examples included Denver’s STAR program, Albuquerque’s Community Safety Department, and Atlanta’s PAD initiative, each showing different ways to route low-acuity or behavioral-health-related calls away from police and toward clinicians, peers, or civilian responders. The session ended with Washington examples continuing, including Whatcom County’s alternative response team, underscoring the committee’s interest in refining and expanding integrated crisis response systems in the next session.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force Jun 24th, 2026
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force
Transcript Highlights:
- With a medical director order to an EMS paramedic, yes. Okay.
- The paramedics showed up, and they gave them Narcan. They popped back to life.
- I work at a department where everyone from the fire chief down is a paramedic.
- So everybody's a firefighter and a paramedic.
- I work at a department where everyone from the fire chief down is a paramedic.
Summary:
The task force meeting opened with new leadership announcements, including Senator Nick Schroer thanking outgoing chair Representative John Black and naming Representative Del Taylor as vice chair. After some initial technical difficulties with audio and Zoom, members reviewed the task force’s statutory charge under Missouri law: to hold hearings on substance use, explore solutions, draft or modify legislation, and produce recommendations for prevention and treatment. The chair said the goal for this year is to develop concrete legislative ideas for the next session, with hearings focused first on field experts and later on alternative therapies and the Department of Mental Health.
Dr. Rachel Winograd gave the first major presentation, describing Missouri’s overdose crisis as increasingly complex and driven primarily by fentanyl, now compounded by xylazine and metatomidine. She said overdose deaths have declined for a third straight year, with preliminary 2025 data around 1,200 deaths, and attributed the decline to a smaller fentanyl supply, wider naloxone availability, and fewer young people entering use. Her main recommendations were to focus on reducing harm rather than trying to eliminate drug use, expand evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder—especially methadone and buprenorphine—improve access to naloxone, and loosen methadone regulations, including take-home doses, the federal 72-hour rule, and broader methadone units. She also emphasized that peer support, housing, transportation, and other practical supports matter, and noted that naloxone can still reverse fentanyl overdoses even when tranquilizers are present.
Dr. Heidi Miller, the state medical director, followed with two recommendations: integrate substance use disorder care into whole-person health care and follow the science when considering substance-related legislation. She argued that primary care, maternal health, workforce training, EMS, public health, and methadone access should all be part of a coordinated model, and said reimbursement should support teams rather than isolated providers. She also urged stronger enforcement of parity between behavioral health/SUD and physical health coverage, and highlighted tobacco and alcohol as major, under-addressed causes of death in Missouri. Dr. Doug Burgess then reinforced the need for a coordinated continuum of care, comparing substance use treatment to the seamless system used for heart attacks, and said patients should have standardized assessment, discharge planning from day one, transition coordinators, peer recovery coaches, and better information-sharing between levels of care. Members asked questions about relapse, treatment court, EMS referral barriers, reimbursement, and whether buprenorphine can be started in the field; no votes were taken, and the meeting ended with plans to continue hearing testimony and use it to shape future policy recommendations.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- are 842 fire departments and 300 emergency services districts across the state of Texas, and most paramedics
- emergency medical services across the state of Texas, and the tuition exemption does not apply to paramedics
- employed in one of those 32 standalone EMS departments, which employ an estimated 9 percent... of paramedics
- impact on universities, the bill will have a tremendously positive impact. on our stand-alone EMS paramedics
- So while this bill looks long, all it does really is close a loophole for those stand-alone EMS paramedics
Keywords:
tuition exemption, paramedics, higher education, public institutions, laboratory fees, education code, financial aid, education, student support, scholarships, nontraditional education, student enrollment, financial assistance, Texas students, foreign adversaries, trade secrets, research integrity, security measures, international agreements, student privacy
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- And the Kahuna blessed the aircraft, the pilots, the flight medics, the paramedics, the ambulance drivers
- , the ambulance drivers, the paramedics, the ambulance drivers, the police<00:10:46.560>
officers, - There were no firefighters or paramedics to respond, only lifeguards.
- c><00:12:57.320>
to no firefighters or paramedics to no firefighters or paramedics to respond, - This includes firefighters, police officers, and paramedics. I have a question.
Bills:
HCR112
Keywords:
HCR112, House Concurrent Resolution, DHRD, Department of Human Resources Development, civil service, classification system, compensation system, salary study, pay scale, job classification, position classification, state workforce, vacancy rate, hard-to-fill positions, labor shortage, recruitment, retention, public employees, state agencies, labor organizations
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- HFD transports, because there are paramedics who work for HFD, right?
- I just want to make sure that nowhere in the United States are paramedics doing this.
- Do paramedics have to go to college for four years? four years to be a paramedic?
- paramedics with RNs.
- Let me say it more clearly: they can authorize paramedics to transport.
Bills:
HB3772, HB1656, HB4504, HB1896, HB4420, HB4421, HB4076, HB3708, HB2806, HB3540, HB1586, HB5459, HB4553, HB4535, HB3811, HB3749, HB4255, HB4051, HB5098, HB3554, HB4539, HB5274
Keywords:
e-cigarettes, health and safety, regulations, directory, penalties, regulation, certification, compliance, manufacturers, FDA, nicotine, mental health, emergency detention, paramedic authority, mental illness, healthcare facility, public health, covenants not to compete, health care practitioners, physicians
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force Jun 24th, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force
Transcript Highlights:
- “With a medical director order to an EMS paramedic, yes.” “Okay.
- I work at a department where everyone from the fire chief down is a paramedic.
- So everybody's a firefighter and a paramedic.
- I work at a department where everyone from the fire chief down is a paramedic.
- So everybody's a firefighter and a paramedic.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- We educate hundreds of paramedics<01:13:07.280>
and <01:13:07.520>EMTs, paramedics and - and EMTs. of paramedics and EMTs.
- that I had as a paid paramedic trainee.
- Paramedics that received their education Paramedics that received their education at<01:37:20.080>
- >
me <01:37:30.360>had <01:37:30.480>a The paramedics that taught me had a The paramedics
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House OKs nearly $4 billion higher ed budget that would offset state grant program deficit 4/28/25
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Paramedics. EMS is still in jeopardy in our state. Every one of your communities needs a paramedic.
- We need more paramedics in this state.
- now are going over a hundred paramedics now are going to<01:08:39.279>
graduate <01:08:39.759> - Folks who want to help farmers and want to become paramedics.
- Folks who want to help farmers and want to become paramedics.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force Jun 25th, 2026 at 09:00 am
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force
Transcript Highlights:
- As a community paramedic, I have seen and treated these injuries and illnesses on the streets.
- Every paramedic will tell you that. They have stories, okay?
- And doing my community paramedic duties, I offered resources after we resuscitated her.
- Why is he a paramedic?
- Why is he a paramedic?