Subject: “Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017”
Dear Congressman Scott:
We, the undersigned members of the Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA),
wish to express our sincere thanks for your leadership on the Good Samaritan Health
Professionals Act of 2017. This much needed legislation will ensure that victims of
federally declared disasters will have adequate access to medical care following a
catastrophic event.
Following national calamities like a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, it is crucial for
injured Americans to have access to adequate medical resources in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, federal law does not provide adequate protection to health care
professionals who spontaneously volunteer their medical services during disasters, nor
does it protect those volunteers who cross state lines to treat victims of these
catastrophes. Compounding this problem, the current patchwork of state laws that aim
to encourage medical volunteerism are ambiguous and inconsistent, especially when
applied to large-scale disasters. These issues create an environment where vital
medical volunteers may be turned away or forced to limit their services at a time when
their help is most needed.
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