Cliff Stearns: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have a very simple amendment today. It's the Good Samaritan Health…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have a very simple amendment today. It's the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Amendment. This amendment would allow trained medical professionals to volunteer across State lines to assist in Presidentially declared Federal disaster sites. My colleagues, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we saw firsthand how much of a demand there is for trained professionals at disaster sites and how there is a need to provide liability protection for these very experienced individuals. According to the Council of State Governments, the most pressing need immediately after Katrina was the availability of medical volunteers. However, out-of-state practitioners providing medical treatment face the real possibility of noncoverage under their medical malpractice policies. Those that volunteer and treat the sick are at risk of violating existing statutes and potentially facing criminal or administrative penalties or civil liabilities. A Baton Rouge newspaper, The Advocate, ran a story in September 2005 that talked about Dr. Mark Perlmutter, who was in the midst of giving a woman chest compressions when FEMA asked him to stop because of issues of liability protection. CNN ran a story about a doctor who was evacuated to the New Orleans' airport. The doctor was amazed to see hundreds of sick people and wanted to help them. He wanted to ply his professional talents and heal the sick, but was prevented from doing so because of legal liability.…”