Bipartisan effort helping first responders save patients' lives

Rep. G.K Butterfield, a Wilson democrat, and Rep. Richard Hudson, a Concord republican, are heralding the passage of House Bill 304, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act.

H.R. 304 will enhance emergency medical technicians’ ability to dispense lifesaving drugs, cutting through a tangle of federal red tape that brings unnecessary complication into the life-and-death decisions paramedics and EMTs must make in a matter of moments.

Once the bill becomes law, the Drug Enforcement Administration will be able to authorize emergency medical service agencies to dispense controlled substances. Currently, agencies’ medical directors and individual practitioners must meet registration requirements.

“Without this solution, quality emergency care and patients would have been endangered simply because law and regulation have not kept up with the evolution of modern medicine,” said Brent Myers, president of the National Association of EMS Physicians. “This is an important clarification of law that allows our first responder to continue administering lifesaving medications to patients when they need them most.”

House Bill 304 states that emergency medical technicians employed by a registered EMS agency can administer medication under a standing order issued by a medical director. The order would not have to be specific to an individual patient.

Hudson and Butterfield reintroduced the bill in January after the 115th Congress convened: a previous version passed the House in 2016 but did not receive a Senate floor vote.

Hudson, who represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, is the legislation’s primary sponsor. The bill currently has 25 cosponsors, 13 democrats and 12 republicans. Counting Hudson, there is equal representation from both parties.

“Through this bill, we hope to ensure patients receive treatment when they need it most, particularly in rural communities like those in eastern North Carolina where the patient may be far removed from an emergency room,” said Butterfield, who represents the 1st Congressional District. “I commend my colleagues for coming together to pass this potentially lifesaving measure so that patients can receive treatment as quickly as possible.”