HB 2435

                                              PRINTER'S NO.   3240
              THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                  HOUSE BILL
                  No. 2435
                                        Session of
                                          2026
INTRODUCED BY MADDEN, MULLINS, HILL-EVANS, SANCHEZ, PARKER,
   PROBST, NEILSON, BOROWSKI, DOUGHERTY AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ,
   APRIL 21, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGING AND OLDER ADULT SERVICES,
   APRIL 21, 2026
                              AN ACT
1 Imposing dementia care training requirements for certain
2    emergency medical services providers; and providing for
3    powers and duties of the Department of Health.
4    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1.   Short title.
7    This act shall be known and may be cited as the EMS Dementia
8 Care Training Act.
9 Section 2.   Purpose.
10    The purpose of this act is to ensure minimum training
11 requirements for EMS personnel in this Commonwealth to help them
12 effectively interact with individuals who have Alzheimer's
13 disease or other dementias.
14 Section 3.   Definitions.
15    The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
16 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17 context clearly indicates otherwise:
1    "Department."    The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
2    "Emergency medical services provider" or "EMS provider."     Any
3 of the following:
4(1)   An emergency medical responder.
5(2)   An emergency medical technician.
6(3)   An advanced emergency medical technician.
7(4)   A paramedic.
8(5)   A prehospital registered nurse.
9(6)   A prehospital physician extender.
10(7)   A prehospital emergency medical services physician.
11(8)   An individual prescribed by regulation of the
12    department to provide specialized emergency medical services.
13 Section 4.   Training requirement.
14    A certified first responder shall successfully complete basic
15 and continued training on identifying and interacting with
16 individuals with Alzheimer's or other dementias as part of EMS
17 provider training or continuing EMS provider education.
18 Section 5.   Duty of department.
19    The department shall develop and promulgate a dementia
20 training program in cooperation with the Department of Aging.
21 The program shall include instruction on identifying and
22 interacting with individuals with Alzheimer's or other
23 dementias, best practices on emergency medical care for them and
24 identifying signs of elder abuse as part of basic training and
25 continued education.
26 Section 6.   Duration of training.
27    The program under section 5 shall require the following:
28(1)   Initial training of three hours during the
29    certification process for EMS personnel that includes:
30(i)   dementia, psychiatric and behavioral symptoms,
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1and common medical emergencies experienced by individuals
2living with dementia;
3(ii)    communication issues, including how to
4communicate respectfully and effectively with the
5individual who has dementia in order to determine the
6most appropriate response and effective communication
7techniques to enhance collaboration with caregivers;
8(iii)    methods to address behavioral symptoms during
9the administration of emergency medical treatment;
10(iv)    identification and reporting of incidents of
11abuse, neglect and exploitation;
12(v)    protocols for contacting caregivers when an
13individual with dementia is found wandering or during
14emergency or crisis situations; and
15(vi)    local caregiving resources that are available
16for individuals living with dementia.
17(2)   Continuing education to include one hour of dementia
18    training covering the subjects described in paragraph (1).
19 Section 7.     Noncompliance.
20    An EMS provider who fails to successfully complete the
21 approved dementia training in violation of this act shall be
22 subject to rules and regulations established under 35 Pa.C.S. §
23 8121 (relating to certification sanctions).
24 Section 8.     Grandfather provisions.
25    (a)   Prior training.--An EMS provider who has successfully
26 completed dementia training that meets the minimum criteria
27 established by the department within 18 months prior to the
28 effective date of this subsection shall be deemed to have
29 satisfied the initial three-hour precertification training
30 requirement and shall not be required to repeat the training as
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1 a condition of certification or recertification.
2    (b)   Annual training.--An EMS provider described in
3 subsection (a) remains subject to the continuing education
4 requirement specified in section 6(2) and must complete one hour
5 of dementia training annually.
6    (c)   Duty of department.--In evaluating eligibility under
7 subsection (a), the department shall apply the minimum criteria
8 retroactively to training completed within the 18 months prior
9 to the effective date of this subsection and shall establish
10 procedures for EMS providers to demonstrate eligibility,
11 including acceptable forms of documentation evidencing prior
12 training completion.
13 Section 9.    Relationship to other law.
14    If another act enacted, or regulations promulgated, prior to
15 the effective date of this section contain more rigorous
16 training requirements, the act or regulations shall apply. Where
17 there is overlap between these provisions and other law and
18 regulations, the department shall interpret this act to avoid
19 duplication of requirements while ensuring that the minimum
20 requirements specified in this act are met.
21 Section 10.   Effective date.
22    This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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