The Alaska House Finance Committee on April 25 heard testimony on House Bill 27, a measure to establish a statewide system of care for time-sensitive medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes. Sponsors and supporters said the bill would replicate features of the existing trauma system to standardize facility designation, prehospital protocols and statewide data collection.

Katie Georgio, staff to Representative Genevieve Mina (the bill sponsor), told the committee HB27 would place the stroke and heart-attack system within the Department of Health and would allow hospitals and clinics to seek voluntary designation as heart-attack or stroke centers of varying levels depending on their capabilities. Georgio said the proposal would also standardize protocols for prehospital transport, including air and ground services.

Witnesses from EMS and medical organizations urged passage. Brian Webb, who said he has 50 years of experience in emergency medical services, told the committee: "Let's just pass HB 27 and build our statewide time sensitive medical emergencies model just as we did for trauma." Webb said a unified data system and facility designation process would allow Alaska EMS and hospitals to target resources and improve outcomes.

Dr. Tim Peterson, a physician and medical director for Southeast Region EMS, described the challenges posed by Alaska's remoteness and said the state lacks a coordinated system for heart attack and stroke comparable to its trauma network. "Once you're in an ER in this state and you need to be transferred to another hospital, it can take hours, and those hours can cost lives," he said.

Jamie Morgan, senior regional leader for government relations at the American Heart Association, spoke in support and cited national evidence on the impact of coordinated systems of care. "When dealing with a time sensitive medical emergency like a stroke, the right care at the right time at the right facility is essential," Morgan said, and noted research indicating modest percentage reductions in stroke mortality would translate to many lives saved nationally.

Committee action

Committee members closed public testimony and set an amendment deadline of Tuesday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. for HB27; sponsors were instructed to submit amendments to committee staff. No committee vote on the bill occurred on April 25; the measure will return to the committee for further consideration.

Why it matters

Supporters said a formal system of care for heart attacks and strokes would standardize triage and transport, enable facility designations, improve training and equip EMS agencies across Alaska, and provide centralized data to identify geographic gaps in care. Witnesses told members the measure could reduce permanent disability and improve cost-effectiveness by directing patients to the most appropriate hospitals and shortening time to definitive treatment.

Next steps

The committee set the amendment deadline and will schedule further consideration; staff contact information and submission instructions were provided to sponsors during the hearing.