Support for HB 2260

Summary

Many licensed residential care facilities in Arizona voluntarily provide immediate emergency care to their residents. Some facilities opt to refuse emergency care to their residents, denying them basic human dignity and life-preserving treatment. They can do this with impunity because there is no requirement for them to help under Arizona law. HB 2260 addresses the gap in Arizona’s law by establishing an affirmative duty for Arizona licensed residential care facilities to provide immediate care for their residents.

Read HB 2260
Track HB 2260’s progress at https://apps.azleg.gov

House Bill 2260 has been a hotbed of controversy. RightCare has received a broad spectrum of passionate feedback from those affected by the bill. Some of it was in support. Some of it was in opposition. Surprisingly, a substantial amount of feedback contained a misunderstanding of the bill. Some comments even called for removal of provisions that were not even a part of the bill!

The purpose of this letter is to address the issues that have been raised the most, and to clarify the actual content and intention of HB2260. A copy of the bill is attached for your reference.

No additional training or certification is required.

HB2260 only requires health care institutions have training in CPR and first aid. This is already a licensing requirement for all care institutions in Arizona. This bill does not create an obligation to have any additional nursing, paramedic or other medical professional training or certification.

No additional staffing is required.

HB2260 only requires that staff certified in CPR and first aid are always available. Because all caregivers are already required to be CPR and first aid certified, this provision will not require additional staffing. This bill does not create an obligation to have doctors or nurses on call or present.

There is a duty to administer CPR and first aid.

If there is a medical emergency, HB2260 requires that health care institution staff utilize their training in CPR and first aid to render appropriate care. This means the staff member should do a basic CPR and first aid evaluation of the situation and, if appropriate, provide basic care as outlined in their training.

Those who provide CPR and first aid have protection from liability.

If health care institution staff reasonably follow their CPR and first aid training when providing emergency care, HB2260 exempts them from liability. This protects heath care institutions and workers against frivolous lawsuits.

Care institutions can (and should) still call 911.

Nothing in HB2260 prohibits calling 911 in an emergency. Both CPR and first aid training include contacting emergency services for medical emergencies. HB2260 instructs staff to follow this training, including calling 911 when appropriate.

HB2260 creates a minimum standard to prevent inaction.

The purpose of this bill is to motivate health care institutions to make minimal CPR and first aid efforts in order to preserve the lives of their residents during an emergency. During the 6-8 minutes it takes for EMS to arrive, CPR and first aid can make a tremendous difference in the resident’s outcome. Often it is the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, a minority of health care institutions are not providing emergency care beyond calling 911. Residents at these locations sustain far greater injury or die for lack of emergency care while waiting for the fire truck to arrive. This severe harm can be significantly reduced if CPR and/or first aid is administered.

To the majority of caregivers that are already providing emergency care to older Arizonans, please keep doing what you are already doing—this bill will not affect you. Thank you for providing care for those who once cared for us. Thank you for your genuine concern for their health and well-being. Thank you for treating them with the respect and dignity that they deserve. Thank you for doing all of these things endlessly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your work is hard and selfless.

I sincerely applaud and wish to recognize you for being incredible human beings doing selfless work caring for our most vulnerable Arizonans. I know that we share a common mission to save lives and honor wishes for older Arizonans by delivering best practice care. I know that we share a common vision of a world that is responsible, accountable and obligated to care for all. With absolute respect and sincerity, thank you for all you do. HB2260 was created to support you and protect those in your care.

I support HB2260 because it is the right thing to do. Should any of you have additional questions or concerns not clarified or addressed in this letter, please email me. It is my hope that we can continue to work together towards excellence in caregiving.

Sincerely,
Steve Wagner
President & Founder
RightCare Foundation, Inc.
501(c)(3) Public Charity
swagner@rightcare.org

Please Voice Your Support

• CALL AND EMAIL
  You can call and email the committee below with your support.
• SHOW UP
  You can show your support at the House of Representatives next time it is on the agenda. We will keep this page updated and you can always track HB 2260’s progress at https://apps.azleg.gov
  House of Representatives Building
  1700 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85007 
• SPEAK
  If you wish to speak at the committee you must register in person first and then log in and add yourself to HB 2260 on a current agenda. At https://apps.azleg.gov/RequestToSpeak/UpcomingAgendas there is an RTS Manual link that gives instructions on how to do this in the left side navigation.

COPY AND PASTE ALL EMAIL ADDRESSES AT ONCE BELOW
JALLEN@azleg.gov; NBARTO@azleg.gov; GGRIFFIN@azleg.gov; JLAWRENCE@azleg.gov; BNUTT@azleg.gov; KBUTLER@azleg.gov; AHERNANDEZ@azleg.gov; PPOWERSHANNLEY@azleg.gov; ASHAH@azleg.gov

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ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF HB 2260

• American Association of Retired Persons Arizona (AARP AZ)
• The Arizona College of Emergency Physicians (AzCEP)
• National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)
• Arizona Fire District Association (AFDA)