As used in the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act:

A. "disaster relief organization" means an entity that provides emergency or disaster relief services that include health or veterinary services provided by volunteer health practitioners and that:

(1) is designated or recognized as a provider of those services pursuant to a disaster response and recovery plan adopted by an agency of the federal government or the homeland security and emergency management department; or

(2) regularly plans and conducts its activities in coordination with an agency of the federal government or the homeland security and emergency management department;

B. "emergency" means an event or condition that is an emergency, disaster, public health emergency or similar event or condition pursuant to the laws of this state;

C. "emergency declaration" means a declaration of emergency issued by a person authorized to do so pursuant to the laws of this state;

D. "Emergency Management Assistance Compact" means the interstate compact approved by congress by Public Law No. 104-321, 110 Stat. 3877 and codified at Sections 12-10-14 and 12-10-15 NMSA 1978;

E. "entity" means a person other than an individual;

F. "health facility" means an entity licensed pursuant to the laws of this or another state to provide health or veterinary services;

G. "health practitioner" means an individual licensed pursuant to the laws of this or another state to provide health or veterinary services;

H. "health services" means the provision of treatment, care, advice or guidance, or other services or supplies, related to the health or death of individuals or human populations, to the extent necessary to respond to an emergency, including:

(1) the following, concerning the physical or mental condition or functional status of an individual or affecting the structure or function of the body:

(a) preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, maintenance or palliative care; and

(b) counseling, assessment, procedures or other services;

(2) the sale or dispensing of a drug, a device, equipment or another item to an individual in accordance with a prescription; and

(3) funeral, cremation, cemetery or other mortuary services;

I. "host entity" means an entity operating in this state that uses volunteer health practitioners to respond to an emergency;

J. "license" means authorization by a state to engage in health or veterinary services that are unlawful without the authorization. "License" includes authorization pursuant to the laws of this state to an individual to provide health or veterinary services based upon a national certification issued by a public or private entity;

K. "person" means an individual, corporation, business trust, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality or any other legal or commercial entity;

L. "scope of practice" means the extent of the authorization to provide health or veterinary services granted to a health practitioner by a license issued to the practitioner in the state in which the principal part of the practitioner's services are rendered, including any conditions imposed by the licensing authority;

M. "state" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States;

N. "veterinary services" means the provision of treatment, care, advice or guidance, or other services or supplies, related to the health or death of an animal or to animal populations, to the extent necessary to respond to an emergency, including:

(1) the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of an animal disease, injury or other physical or mental condition by the prescription, administration or dispensing of a vaccine, medicine, surgery or therapy;

(2) the use of a procedure for reproductive management; and

(3) the monitoring and treatment of animal populations for diseases that have spread or demonstrate the potential to spread to humans; and

O. "volunteer health practitioner" means a health practitioner who provides health or veterinary services, whether or not the practitioner receives compensation for those services. "Volunteer health practitioner" does not include a practitioner who receives compensation pursuant to a preexisting employment relationship with a host entity or affiliate that requires the practitioner to provide health services in this state, unless the practitioner is not a resident of this state and is employed by a disaster relief organization providing services in this state while an emergency declaration is in effect.

History: Laws 2008, ch. 47, § 2.

Effective dates. — Laws 2008, ch. 47, § 14 made the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act effective July 1, 2008.