The purpose of this chapter is to increase the availability
of volunteer rescue squads for emergency situations, and to eliminate
the use of volunteer rescue squads for nonemergency services.
All state-licensed nursing homes, health-care facilities, rest
homes, health maintenance organizations and other licensed medical
care providers within the Township are hereby required to own, lease,
rent or have immediately available by other arrangement an appropriately
staffed ambulance for the transportation of patients in need of nonemergency
care. The ambulance shall be available 365 days a year, 24 hours a
day, and shall be utilized as the primary responder. The resident
director, manager or corporate officer of such locations shall certify
the availability of an appropriately staffed ambulance, and communicate
the terms of this chapter to all employees involved with emergency
care.
A duly licensed nursing home, rest home or health maintenance
organization and other licensed medical care providers may request
the appropriate emergency medical services agency providing emergency
ambulance service to said nursing home, rest home or health maintenance
organization in any situation which falls within the definition of
"advanced life support," as such term is defined in N.J.S.A. 26:2K-7
et seq., and applicable regulations promulgated by the New Jersey
Department of Health. Such situations, by way of example subject to
any statutory clarifications and definitions cited above, shall include
chest pain, difficulty in breathing, sudden loss of consciousness,
stroke, diabetic emergency, cardiac arrest, life-threatening hemorrhaging
or other life-threatening condition.
It shall constitute a violation of this chapter for any nursing
home, rest home or health maintenance organization, or any agent,
servant or employee thereof, to cause the emergency medical services
agency providing emergency ambulance service for the area in which
the facility is located to respond to a false alarm. For the purposes
of this chapter, "false alarm" shall be defined as any circumstance
where a determination is made by a mobile intensive care paramedic,
emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care nurse at the
scene that the situation does not meet the designated advanced life
support criteria as defined by the applicable statutes and regulations
promulgated thereunder.