(Atlantic) The vote on emergency medical services (EMS) departments as essential county services will be decided tonight. In 2021, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 615, allowing counties to designate emergency medical service (EMS) departments as essential county services, placing them equally with state law enforcement and fire departments.
Cass Health CEO Brett Altman points out that police and fire departments are already essential services, which means they must respond to an emergency by law. Altman says it is not the same for EMS. He says there is a one-in-four chance an ambulance will not show up for an emergency in rural Iowa.
Altman says thirteen counties in Iowa have passed EMS as an essential service, meaning that by law, they have to show up when called upon. The measure requires a super majority of 60 percent popular vote to pass.
Dr. Elaine Berry, Chief Medical Officer, says we need to have EMS available, and the paid service (Cass EMS) and the volunteer services throughout the county, Anita, Cumberland, Marne, Massena, Lewis, and Griswold are essential for their medical support throughout the county.
Dr. Berry says the funds coming in will support both the volunteer and paid service, with the majority of the money going to the paid service the country has to have because at least 13 people are needed to supply two ambulances 24/7 on a rotating basis. These employees need a living wage and benefits to keep quality people staffed and willing to care for us. The money will also support the volunteers in supplying them with needed equipment and EMT training money, which costs one thousand dollars per person to be trained to be an EMT.
Dr. Berry says in 2023, there were over 2,500 calls, and of those over 1,800 times an individual needed transport to the hospital. The funding can only be used for EMS and nothing else. Dr. Berry says it is hard to find paid services.
Brett Altman says that four years ago, the city and the county had subsidized the service independently. There was one single ambulance life support staff, so they came to Cass Health to see if they would become a third partner to help subsidize this to help with the ever-increasing costs from $210,000 the first year to $750,000.
He says overall, people’s taxes should stay the same or maybe even go down. Constituents are voting for a levy, but Public Measure A says .75 cents, but the intention is for taxes to not increase. The money will be distributed by the Advisory Council, which includes each member of the Cass County Communities Volunteer Services.
