California Health and Safety Code § 1799.300

(a) An emergency ambulance provider shall offer to all emergency ambulance employees, upon the employee’s request, peer support services. The services shall provide peer representatives, reflective of the provider’s workforce both in job positions and personal experiences, who are available to come to the aid of their fellow employees on a broad range of emotional or professional issues. The emergency ambulance provider shall incorporate selection criteria for peer support team members into program policies. (b) For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (1) “Confidential communication” means any information, including, but not limited to, written or oral communication, transmitted between an emergency ambulance employee, a peer support team member, or a crisis hotline or crisis referral service staff member while the peer support team member provides peer support services or the crisis hotline or crisis referral service staff member provides crisis services and in confidence by a means that, as far as the emergency ambulance employee is aware, does not disclose the information to third parties other than those who are present to further the interests of the emergency ambulance employee in delivery of peer support services or those to whom disclosures are reasonably necessary for the transmission of the information or an accomplishment of the purposes for which the peer support team member is providing services. “Confidential communication” does not include a communication in which an emergency ambulance employee discloses the commission of a crime or a communication that reveals the emergency ambulance employee’s intent to defraud or deceive an investigation into a critical incident. (2) “Crisis referral services” include all public or private organizations that provide consultation and treatment resources for personal problems, including mental health issues, chemical dependency, domestic violence, gambling, financial problems, and other personal crises. Neither crisis referral services nor crisis hotlines include services provided by an employee association, labor relations representative, or labor relations organization, or any entity owned or operated by an employee association, labor relations representative, or labor relations organization. (3) “Critical incident” means an event or situation that involves crisis, disaster, trauma, or emergency. (4) “Critical incident stress” means the acute or cumulative psychological stress or trauma that emergency ambulance personnel may experience in providing emergency services in response to a critical incident. The stress or trauma is an unusually strong emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or physical reaction that may interfere with normal functioning and could lead to post-traumatic stress injuries, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: (A) Physical and emotional illness. (B) Failure of usual coping mechanisms. (C) Loss of interest in the job or normal life activities. (D) Personality changes. (E) Loss of ability to function. (F) Psychological disruption of personal life, including their relationship with a spouse, child, or friend. (5) “Emergency ambulance employee” means a person who meets both of the following requirements: (A) Is an emergency medical technician, dispatcher, paramedic, or other licensed or certified ambulance transport person who contributes to the delivery of ambulance services. (B) Is employed by an emergency ambulance provider. (6) “Emergency ambulance provider” means an employer that provides ambulance services, but not including the state, or any political subdivision thereof, in its capacity as the direct employer of a person meeting the description contained in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5). (A) “Emergency ambulance provider” does not include a provider that satisfies both of the following criteria: (i) The provider operates emergency medical services aircraft. (ii) The 

‹ Prev All California sections Next ›

Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.