On Saturday, May 18, the Minnesota Senate passed a $30 million aid package for rural emergency medical services (EMS) with unanimous support. The bill provides $24 million in emergency aid for EMS providers that are focused on services in Greater Minnesota. Another $6 million is dedicated to an innovative sprint medic pilot program.
“In Greater Minnesota, it is crucial to ensure that emergency medical services are readily available,” Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) said. “However, providing these services in rural areas presents a unique challenge. That is why it is so important for the $30 million aid package to prioritize funding for services in our rural communities. This bill is a perfect example of good bipartisan work on behalf of the people of Minnesota, and it is how all legislation should have passed this session. Unfortunately, this rarely happened much at the Capitol this year, given the partisan policies pushed by Democrats and their insatiable appetite for power and control.”
Throughout the interim, a bipartisan EMS Task Force investigated how the state can improve the life-saving services provided by EMS personnel. The Task Force was created following a 2022 report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA). Field hearings were held throughout the state, and the task force made key recommendations, many of which are reflected in the Senate’s EMS aid package.
The OLA report found the EMS Regulatory Board (EMSRB) was ineffective in its regulatory role. The bill starts to address these issues with a restructuring of the EMSRB. The powers and duties of the EMSRB are moved to a newly established Office of Emergency Medical Services.
While the aid package will help, the state can only supplement funds for rural EMS temporarily. Overall, the funding remains largely a federal issue with government reimbursement rates failing to cover the total cost of care.
The EMS aid package also includes a sprint medic pilot program, authorizing trained medical staff to be the first response and determining if an ambulance is necessary. This approach is more mobile, flexible, and can prevent unnecessary ambulance calls that ultimately may not be reimbursed. The program will help connect Minnesotans to care more quickly and ensure the correct level of care is provided.
“It is important to redesign the delivery system for EMS and to find efficiencies or less expensive options when patient calls truly aren’t an ‘emergency.’ The new system is more efficient with taxpayer dollars. Thus, it will be more readily available when needed in rural emergencies and when a call comes in,” Sen. Westrom added.
Some of the additional reforms in the bill] help address EMS staffing concerns in rural areas. The changes make it easier to be qualified or certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Responder, or Ambulatory EMT.
On Sunday, May 19, the legislation received strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. It now goes to the governor’s desk and awaits his signature.