1. The department of health and senior services in cooperation with hospitals and local and regional EMS systems and agencies may provide public and professional information and education programs related to emergency medical services systems including trauma, STEMI, and stroke systems and emergency medical care and treatment. The department of health and senior services may also provide public information and education programs for informing residents of and visitors to the state of the availability and proper use of emergency medical services, of the designation a hospital may receive as a trauma center, STEMI center, or stroke center, of the value and nature of programs to involve citizens in the administering of prehospital emergency care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and of the availability of training programs in emergency care for members of the general public.

2. The department shall, for trauma care, STEMI care, and stroke care, respectively:

(1) Compile, assess, and make publicly available peer-reviewed and evidence-based clinical research and guidelines that provide or support recommended treatment standards and that have been recommended by the time-critical diagnosis advisory committee;

(2) Assess the capacity of the emergency medical services system and hospitals to deliver recommended treatments in a timely fashion;

(3) Use the research, guidelines, and assessment to promulgate rules establishing protocols for transporting trauma patients to a trauma center, STEMI patients to a STEMI center, or stroke patients to a stroke center. Such transport protocols shall direct patients to trauma centers, STEMI centers, and stroke centers under section 190.243 based on the centers’ capacities to deliver recommended acute care treatments within time limits suggested by clinical research;

(4) Define regions within the state for purposes of coordinating the delivery of trauma care, STEMI care, and stroke care, respectively;

(5) Promote the development of regional or community-based plans for transporting trauma, STEMI, or stroke patients via ground or air ambulance to trauma centers, STEMI centers, or stroke centers, respectively, in accordance with section 190.243; and

(6) Establish procedures for the submission of community-based or regional plans for department approval.

3. A community-based or regional plan for the transport of trauma, STEMI, and stroke patients shall be submitted to the department for approval. Such plan shall be based on the clinical research and guidelines and assessment of capacity described in subsection 2 of this section and shall include a mechanism for evaluating its effect on medical outcomes. Upon approval of a plan, the department shall waive the requirements of rules promulgated under sections 190.100 to 190.245 that are inconsistent with the community-based or regional plan. A community-based or regional plan shall be developed by the representatives of hospitals, physicians, and emergency medical services providers in the community or region.