Grants to hospitals; reporting

(a) In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of emergency cardiac care centers throughout the state, the office shall award grants, subject to appropriations from the General Assembly, to hospitals that seek designation as emergency cardiac care centers and demonstrate a need for financial assistance to develop the necessary infrastructure, including personnel and equipment, in order to satisfy the criteria for designation as an emergency cardiac care center pursuant to this article. (b) A hospital seeking designation as an emergency cardiac care center pursuant to this article may apply to the office for a grant, in a manner and on a form required by the office, and provide such information as the office deems necessary to determine if the hospital is eligible for such grant. (c) The office may provide grants to as many hospitals as it deems appropriate, subject to appropriations from the General Assembly, taking into consideration adequate geographic diversity with respect to locations. (d) The office shall annually prepare and submit to the Office of Health Strategy and Coordination a report indicating the total number of hospitals that have applied for grants pursuant to this Code section, the number of applicants that have been determined by the office to be eligible for such grants, the total number of grants to be awarded, the name and address of each grantee, and the amount of the award to each grantee. History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-135, enacted by Ga. L. 2017, p. 302, § 1/SB 102; Ga. L. 2019, p. 148, § 2-11/HB 186. The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, substituted ‘‘Office of Health Strategy and Coordination’’ for ‘‘Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for distribution to its committee members’’ in the middle of subsection (d). Editor’s notes. — Ga. L. 2019, p. 148, § 2-1/HB 186, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: ‘‘This part shall be known and may be cited as ‘The Health Act.’ ’’ 31-11-136. Listing of emergency cardiac care centers; emergency cardiac care triage assessment tool; protocols. (a) Beginning June 1, 2018, and each year thereafter, the office shall provide a list of emergency cardiac care centers designated pursuant to this article to the medical director of each licensed emergency medical services provider in this state, shall maintain a copy of such list in the office, and shall post such list on the office’s website. 681 31-11-139 (b) The office shall adopt or develop a sample emergency cardiac care triage assessment tool. The office shall post this sample assessment tool on its website and distribute a copy of the sample assessment tool to each licensed emergency medical services provider no later than December 31, 2017. Each licensed emergency medical services provider shall use an emergency cardiac care triage assessment tool that is substantially similar to the sample emergency cardiac care triage assessment tool provided by the office. (c) The office shall establish protocols related to the triage, assessment, treatment, and transport of emergency cardiac care patients by licensed emergency medical services providers in this state. History. — Code 1981, § 31-11-136, enacted by Ga. L. 2017, p. 302, § 1/SB 102. 31-11-137. Statutory construction.