HB 2435 — An Act imposing dementia care training requirements for certain emergency medical services providers; and providing for powers and duties of the Department of Health.

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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 1            and common medical emergencies experienced by individuals
 2            living with dementia;
 3                  (ii)    communication issues, including how to
 4            communicate respectfully and effectively with the
 5            individual who has dementia in order to determine the
 6            most appropriate response and effective communication
 7            techniques to enhance collaboration with caregivers;
 8                  (iii)    methods to address behavioral symptoms during
 9            the administration of emergency medical treatment;
10                  (iv)    identification and reporting of incidents of
11            abuse, neglect and exploitation;
12                  (v)    protocols for contacting caregivers when an
13            individual with dementia is found wandering or during
14            emergency or crisis situations; and
15                  (vi)    local caregiving resources that are available
16            for 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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