Title 20, Public Health and Welfare

(a) (1) The Department of Health may appoint an advisory committee to assist in the development and review of rules promulgated under the authority of this subchapter.(2) The committee shall consist of an uneven number of persons, not to exceed seven (7), appointed by the Secreta…

(a) (1) (A) The time-response design shall embrace two (2) broad, major, selective categories inherent in the threat of human danger posed by injudicious use or misuse of dangerous substances.(B) A Category I response shall be delivered within six (6) hours after receipt of the s…

(a) Each permanent component within the PC-DI-TL services system shall designate those persons within the component department who shall have responsibility for implementing and developing this toxicology services system, and each shall provide written notice of the designations …

(a) Subject to the approval of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, registration or tuition fees, or both, in the University of Arkansas system are to be waived for those students who provide concurrent services to the Arkansas P…

None of the personnel within any of the components of the PC-DI-TL sevices system shall incur personal liability or be placed in any legal jeopardy for laboratory services provided, analyses executed and reported, information proffered in good faith, professional judgments and re…

Each of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences components, the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center, the UAMS-Library for nonemergency poison and drug information, and the Chemistry Branch of the public health laboratory of the Department of Health, shall make ava…

This subchapter shall be known and cited as the “Nerve Agents Emergency Treatment Act”.

It is the purpose of this subchapter to provide a means of authorizing certain individuals to administer treatment to those persons who have severe adverse reactions to nerve agents when a physician is not immediately available.

As used in this subchapter, “physician” means a natural person licensed to practice medicine in the State of Arkansas pursuant to the Arkansas Medical Practices Act, § 17-95-201 et seq., § 17-95-301 et seq., and § 17-95-401 et seq.

(1) Persons eligible to receive a certificate pursuant to this subchapter shall meet the following requirements:(1) Be eighteen (18) years of age or older;(2) Have, or reasonably expect to have, responsibility for at least one (1) other person as a result of one's relationship, o…

(a) A certificate issued pursuant to this subchapter shall authorize the holder thereof to receive upon presentation of the certificate, from any physician, a prescription for premeasured doses of atropine/pralidoxime, or other drugs as approved by the State Health Officer for th…

No cause of action shall arise against a certificate holder pursuant to this subchapter or against the issuing physician for any act or omission when acting in good faith pursuant to the authority granted by this subchapter, except when the conduct amounts to gross negligence.

(a) The Department of Health shall prepare the appropriate certificate form to be available to physicians upon request to accomplish the purposes of this subchapter. (b) A copy of all certificates issued pursuant to this subchapter shall be forwarded by the issuing physician to t…

(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that, because of the inherent threat of human danger posed by injudicious use, or misuse, of dangerous substances, Arkansas citizens are in need of emergency poison and drug information services and that the public health and welfare re…

(a) There is created the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center within the College of Pharmacy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (b) The purpose of the center is to implement a statewide emergency poison and drug information program designed and structured …

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Center” means the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center; and(2) “Director” means the Director of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center. (1) “Center” means the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center; and (2) “Director” means…

(a) The program of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center shall be structured and designed, to the extent resources permit, to meet the criteria for certification as a state poison control center by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. (b) None of the cent…

Any individual who shall fraudulently represent himself or herself to be a person entitled to invoke the services of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center when such is not the case and any person who attempts to obtain information later put to illegal use in any way sha…

(a) The Director of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center shall serve at the pleasure of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (b) The director may:(1) Employ any coordination measures necessary to effectuate the purpose…

This subchapter is known and may be cited as the “Trauma System Act”.

(1) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Traumatic injury is recognized as the leading killer of persons one (1) year to forty-four (44) years of age and is a serious yet preventable condition;(2) Deaths due to trauma in the United States for 2005 were nearly one hundred thirty-ni…

(a) The Department of Health may develop and implement a comprehensive trauma care system that provides guidelines for the care of trauma victims and is fully integrated with all available resources, including, but not limited to, existing emergency medical services providers, ho…

(a) The State Board of Health may adopt standards for designation and verification of trauma center status which assign level designations based on resources available within the facility. (b) (1) Standards shall be based upon national guidelines, including those established by t…

(a) (1) The Department of Health shall develop a trauma data collection and evaluation system known as the “Trauma Registry”.(2) The Trauma Registry shall be designed to study both the individual and collective care and treatment given to patients of the trauma system. (1) The De…

(a) There is established an advisory council, to be known as the “Trauma Advisory Council”, for the purpose of making recommendations, advising, and providing assistance to the Department of Health concerning the development and operation of a statewide trauma system. (b) The Tra…

(a) All voting members of the Trauma Advisory Council shall be appointed for terms of five (5) years. (b) (1) If a vacancy occurs in an appointed position for any reason, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner provided for the original appointment under § 20-13-807.(2) The new…

(1) An emergency medical system care provider or ambulance provider may be eligible for:(1) The emergency medical system care provider education start-up grants that are used to support trauma education and trauma readiness; or(2) The emergency medical system care provider sustai…

(a) (1) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a Level I trauma center under the rules of the State Board of Health may be eligible for the Level I trauma center start-up grant that is used to qualify for the status of a Level I trauma center and for trauma readiness c…

(a) (1) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a Level II trauma center under the rules of the State Board of Health may be eligible for the Level II trauma center start-up grant that is used to qualify for the status of a Level II trauma center and for trauma readines…

(a) (1) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a Level III trauma center under the rules of the State Board of Health may be eligible for the Level III trauma center start-up grant that is used to qualify for the status of a Level III trauma center and for trauma readi…

(a) (1) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a Level IV trauma center under the rules of the State Board of Health may be eligible for the Level IV trauma center start-up grant that is used to qualify for the status of a Level IV trauma center and for trauma readines…

Grants may be awarded to providers, entities, or organizations with special competence in trauma rehabilitation services that provide rehabilitation services under this subchapter to trauma patients.

(a) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a quality improvement organization under the rules of the State Board of Health may contract with the Department of Health to develop, promulgate, and measure trauma quality measures for entities providing care for the trauma …

(a) (1) An entity that meets the preliminary criteria for a trauma regional advisory council under the rules of the State Board of Health may be eligible for recognition as a trauma regional advisory council.(2) The Department of Health may establish a grant or provide technical …

(a) The Department of Health shall ensure operation of a call center to facilitate communication and coordination of available resources. (b) The call center shall direct patient transport of critical trauma patients to hospitals with the appropriate capability to provide optimum…

The Department of Health shall allocate funds to develop and promote injury prevention programs including the development of the capacity to track and describe the epidemiologic and health statistics of injury deaths and disabilities in Arkansas.

(a) (1) Any data, records, reports, and documents collected or compiled by or on behalf of the Department of Health, the Trauma Advisory Council, or other entity authorized under this subchapter for the purpose of quality or system assessment and improvement of the trauma system …

The Secretary of the Department of Health shall provide a report to the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor and the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor on or before April 1 and October 1 of each year through 2011. After 2011, the secretary shall…

The State Board of Health shall promulgate the rules necessary to implement and administer this subchapter.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Attending physician” has the meaning provided in § 20-17-201;(2) “Do Not Resuscitate Identification” means a standardized identification card, form, necklace, or bracelet of uniform size and design, approved by the Department of Health, that si…

(a) The following are not subject to civil or criminal liability and are not guilty of unprofessional conduct upon discovery of Do Not Resuscitate Identification upon a person:(1) A physician who causes the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures from that person;…

(a) Qualified emergency medical services personnel may follow Emergency Medical Services Do Not Resuscitate Orders pertaining to adult patients in the prehospital setting in accordance with rules promulgated by the State Board of Health, if the order available to the personnel is…

(a) Emergency medical services personnel other than physicians shall comply with the Do Not Resuscitate Protocol when presented with either Do Not Resuscitate Identification approved by the Department of Health, an oral Do Not Resuscitate Order issued directly by a physician, or …

(a) Death resulting from the withholding or withdrawal of emergency life-sustaining procedures pursuant to the Do Not Resuscitate Protocol and in accordance with this subchapter is not for any purpose a suicide or homicide. (b) The possession of Do Not Resuscitate Identification …

(a) Upon the adoption of an Emergency Medical Services Do Not Resuscitate Protocol by the State Board of Health at the recommendation of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, the Department of Health may adopt a standard form of Do Not Resuscitate Identification to b…

(a) An advance directive executed in another state shall be deemed to be validly executed for the purposes of this subchapter if executed in compliance with the laws of the State of Arkansas or the laws of the state where executed. (b) Such advance directives shall be construed i…