The Lane County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on June 24, 2025, to establish a limited-duration Emergency Medical Services Funding Task Force (Order 25062412) to study and recommend sustainable financing for ambulance services in the county.

The task force will run for 18 months and provide updates to the board every six months, staff told commissioners. Lane County Director of Health and Human Services Eve Gray said the county has five ambulance service areas and statutory responsibility to assign ambulance service areas and ensure ambulance coverage.

The nut graf: The task force was proposed after municipalities and providers raised concerns about service sustainability and payer-mix pressures; Medicare and Medicaid remain primary payers for ambulance services, Gray said, while commercial insurance coverage in the county is limited and contributes to revenue shortfalls for providers.

Gray told the board the task force roster will include elected representatives nominated by municipalities and fire districts, all five local fire chiefs and a facilitator from Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), Brenda Moore. Administrative support will be provided by county staff. The county recommended authorizing the task force membership as presented; the board may adjust membership or decline the task force.

The board moved to approve Order 25062412, "in the matter of establishing a limited duration task force to address challenges facing emergency medical services in Lane County with members listed in the task force roster." The motion was seconded and passed by an aye vote from all five commissioners.

Gray described the immediate drivers for the task force as local provider sustainability concerns, a heavy public-payer mix and the county's state-level statutory duty to ensure ambulance services across its geography. She said the initial request came in October 2024 after the City of Oak Ridge reported a significant sustainability issue; a subsequent grant from the Lane Community Health Council provided short-term support for Oak Ridge but countywide funding questions remain.

Ending: The board approved creation of the EMS Funding Task Force and its 18-month charge; staff will bring membership details and six-month updates to the board as the task force works through options for sustaining EMS services.