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Booneville council approves shared medical director agreement with Cooper County Ambulance District
Summary
The Booneville City Council approved a resolution authorizing a memorandum of understanding with Cooper County Ambulance District to provide a shared medical director (Dr. Stille) for first-responder medical protocols; Cooper County will handle training and billed equipment costs; the arrangement was described as cost-effective and standardizing.
Booneville — The City Council on May 5 approved a resolution authorizing a joint medical director agreement with the Cooper County Ambulance District so the city’s first responders will operate under the same physician-led medical protocols used across the county.
The agreement names Dr. Stille as the shared medical director for Booneville Fire first responders and the Cooper County ambulance service. Brandon Hicks, ambulance manager, told the council the arrangement would allow fire personnel to continue operating “as first responders and up to EMT level” under Dr. Stille’s oversight and that Cooper County would be responsible for training.
Why it matters: The council and local emergency officials said having one medical director will standardize care and training across nearby departments and make multi-agency responses smoother. Chief Cooper, representing the fire department, said this also aligns with Missouri rules that require medical responses to be under a physician’s direction.
Hicks said the university-based medical director group that includes Dr. Stille covers about a dozen ambulance services and maintains protocols on an app for first responders to view. “He comes to our base every quarter,” Hicks said, and “he does charge us $212 an hour.” Hicks added that the written agreement that was negotiated between the ambulance district and university legal counsel sets cost responsibilities and that Cooper County will manage training.
Chief Cooper described the change as “one of the very first big steps” toward standardizing response across departments, saying, “It doesn’t matter who’s responding … they’re gonna be operating under the same instruction.” He said common protocols will simplify equipment sharing and that the ambulance service can bill for medical equipment when it is used on scene, simplifying cost recovery for the city.
The council considered and approved Resolution R2025-09, which the packet described as authorizing an agreement between the city and Cooper County Ambulance District for shared medical director leadership. A motion to approve the resolution was made and seconded; the council approved it by roll call vote.
Council members and staff said they expect Dr. Stille to visit the station for training and updates each quarter and that protocols will be accessible electronically to firefighters and EMTs. The resolution authorizes the city administrator and city clerk to execute the agreement and took effect after passage.
The council did not specify long-term budgetary commitments in detail at the meeting; Hicks noted that the MOU contains a cost section and that the district’s practice has been to roster the director’s quarterly visits and to use existing billing mechanisms for medical equipment used on calls.
