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Senate passes bill to allow ambulance transport for voluntary psychiatric admissions under certain conditions
Summary
SB120 expands transport options for patients who are being committed via emergency certificates by allowing ambulance transport of people who are willing for voluntary admission upon arrival; sponsor said the change addresses gaps when beds open far from initial facility.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 120 on May 13 to allow ambulance transport in certain cases involving patients evaluated on emergency certificates but who are willing to be voluntarily admitted once a bed becomes available.
Sponsor Senator Sellers described a problem in which physicians stabilize patients in an emergency room but are unable to arrange transport when a bed opens at a distant facility because regulations limited formal transports to involuntary commitments. "Currently...we have folks going to the emergency room...and then a bed will open up in Shreveport...you can't get transportation in with the ambulance because of the involuntary admission checklist," Sellers said. He said the bill "is only adding people that are willing for voluntary admissions upon arrival."
Floor discussion included several colloquial exchanges and questions about logistics; Senators asked whether a patient could drive themselves and whether law enforcement could stop a vehicle if concerns arise. Sellers said the provision is intended to allow ambulance transport for patients who meet the checklist and are stabilized but need transfer to another facility.
Senators approved the bill by recorded vote. The clerk reported "38 yays and 0 nays" in the floor tally and the bill was declared passed.
If enacted, the law would permit ambulances to transport patients who meet the bill's criteria for voluntary admission upon arrival, closing an operational gap identified by clinicians and emergency responders. The statute leaves operational details—such as restraint policies and coordination with law enforcement—subject to existing protocols for medical transport and emergency care.
