By Ben Singson
Jacksonville Journal-Courier
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A bill helping rural ambulance services to meet staffing requirements is headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
House Bill 5446 is awaiting the governor’s signature after unanimously clearing both the state House and Senate. The bill was introduced by Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R- Murrayville, in February and Sen. Steve McClure, R- Springfield, served as the chief Senate sponsor.
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The bill would allow ambulance services in rural or semi-rural areas serving populations of 10,000 or fewer to use part-time employees in addition to volunteers and paid-on-call employees. Under current law, part-time employees are not allowed.
It would go into effect immediately if signed by the governor.
“Staffing limitations may lead to long wait times for individuals in an emergency and in need of an ambulance,” Davidsmeyer said. “By allowing rural areas flexibility in staffing ambulances, they can improve response time and get the patient to a hospital faster. I want to thank our local officials for working with us on this important legislation, and I thank Senator McClure for getting it over the finish line in the Senate .”
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