[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 97 (Wednesday, July 17, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S6957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CONRAD:
  S. 2748. A bill to authorize the formulation of State and regional 
emergency telehealth network testbeds and within the Department of 
Defense, a telehealth task force; to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I am introducing the National 
Emergency Telemedical Communications Act of 2002 or NETCA. This bill 
would take important steps to strengthen our Nation's ability to 
respond to and manage biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorist 
attacks and other natural disasters.
  Today, we live in a world forever changed by the September 11 attacks 
on our country. These events exposed weaknesses in our homeland 
defense; the anthrax attacks further showed how important it is to have 
a strong public health system and what happens when such a system has 
been neglected.
  My bill would help address both of these issues. It would authorize 
two regional telehealth test beds, linking local and state health 
departments with the CDC, academic, VA, and DoD medical centers, 
Emergency Medical Services, and other health entities. Additionally, 
these efforts would be coordinated with local and State law 
enforcement, fire departments, and the National Guard. The system would 
then be tested for its ability to gather information in real-time, send 
timely alerts, and connect front-line responders with key support 
people to prevent or assist in managing a crisis. For instance, in a 
situation where there are mass casualties, an emergency room physician, 
while in the hospital, would be able to assist the emergency medical 
technician at the scene in triaging patients and directing where 
patients should be transported. They also would be able to participate 
directly in the treatment of patients in the field and not have to wait 
for them to arrive at the hospital. In these situations, minutes mean 
lives; enactment of this legislation would save lives.
  But this system would do more than allow for medical specialist-to-
patient consultations; it would permit disaster experts hundreds or 
even thousands of miles away to view the disaster area and communicate 
directly with front-line responders. For example, in a ``dirty'' bomb 
explosion, fire and rescue responders might not notice anything 
different than expected based upon their training for response to 
explosives. However, if their trucks and uniforms were equipped with 
devices that recognized this radiation, not only would they be alerted, 
but the information could be automatically relayed by the telehealth 
system to radiation experts who could then be ``brought'' to the scene 
to help direct the response and improve responder safety.
  For such a system to work, everyone must be on the same page. This 
means the information being sent must be understood by all. We cannot 
have one part of the system use medical terminology typical for one 
region of the country, such as ``reactive airway disease'', and another 
part of the system using a different name, such as ``asthma.'' Thus, a 
common agreed upon language must be determined. Furthermore, each 
statewide network must be connected in a seamless fashion so this 
information can pass through smoothly and without interruption. My bill 
would create a task force of relevant experts from private and 
government to solve both of these challenges and then use the test beds 
to evaluate their solutions.
  In the end, I envision an intelligent system, capable of gathering 
information real-time and proactively connecting front-line responders 
with key support people. It would provide timely alerts, crisis 
response, prevention, and prediction of medical and other dangers.
  Ultimately, it is my hope that this project will lead to the 
formation of a secure National Emergency Telemedical Network. I am 
happy to say that there is broad support for this legislation in the 
telemedicine and information management communities, as well as in 
various State and Federal agencies. In particular, I am pleased that my 
bill has been endorsed by the American Telemedicine Association, the 
Center for Telemedicine Law, the American Association of Medical 
Colleges, the North Dakota Hospital Association, the North Dakota 
Medical Association, the North Dakota State Department of Health, the 
University of Texas Health Sciences Center, the University of Tennessee 
Health Sciences Center, and the Telemedicine Center of East Carolina 
University. I am also pleased that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has 
joined me in this effort, and I urge my other colleagues to support 
this important piece of legislation.
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