NJ S1772

New Jersey's Office of Emergency Medical Services must develop a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan providing comprehensive, coordinated EMS coverage, including both short-term and long-term goals, with triennial reviews and updates.

Regional EMS plans may be incorporated, developed jointly by county boards of health and subject to state approval, with the final Statewide plan published on the Department of Health's website.

The plan must inventory statewide EMS resources, assess system effectiveness, develop performance metrics with cost estimates, and identify needed changes to improve access for underserved regions and populations.

Requirements include maintaining processes for designating trauma centers and stroke centers, establishing crisis intervention and peer support services for EMS and public safety personnel, and creating disaster response teams for mass casualty events.

The bill takes effect 180 days after enactment and mandates coordination with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program and the State trauma medical director to align all existing EMS protocols with the new statewide plan.