Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hospital Exemption Ambulance Districts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Critical-access hospitals seek exemption from ambulance-district mandate
Summary
Representative Gretchen Dobrevich and several rural hospital leaders told the committee that hospitals that operate ambulance services should be exempt from a new mandatory ambulance-district requirement, citing administrative duplication and potential funding impacts.
House Bill 1339 would exempt critical-access hospitals that own and operate ambulance services from a statutory requirement to form rural ambulance service districts. Representative Gretchen Dobrevich (District 11) introduced the bill at a House Human Services Committee hearing, saying the exemption would avoid duplicative oversight and possible loss of funding for small hospital-run services.
"This area of code currently exempts ambulance services owned by a county, a city, under joint ownership, a tribal nation, the federal government, and cities with population of 6,500 or more," Dobrevich said. She told members that nine of North Dakota's 36 critical-access hospitals currently operate ambulance services and that the bill would give those hospitals the choice to forego district formation.
Pete Antonson, a long-time Northwood community leader, testified that his hospital's ambulance service is tightly integrated with facility operations — sharing staff, vehicles, billing and community programs — and that forcing a separate taxing district would create another board, duplicate oversight and risk unintended financial consequences. "Our clinic manager currently is on the ambulance squad and will leave during the day when there's a run," Antonson said, describing staff sharing and billing integration.
Wayne Reed, CEO of Langdon Prairie Health, said his hospital already reports to boards, receives county mill levies and provides cross-jurisdictional coverage; he argued a mandate would add complexity and could harm rural hospitals. "Anything that we do in America to make what we do in rural health care more difficult is something I want to avoid at all cost," Reed said.
Supporters of the 2023 law that required district formation previously argued districts provide a stable local funding mechanism and shared governance for ambulance services. Adam Parker of the North Dakota EMS Association told the committee the 1365 legislation aimed to make ambulance service funding and governance more consistent across rural areas and that districts can consolidate reporting requirements across multiple counties. Parker said many ambulance services already receive some tax support and that the district structure is intended to ensure sustainable local backing.
Representative Dobrevich and hospital witnesses proposed the exemption as an option, not a mandate, and said hospitals would be willing to sign memoranda of agreement to ensure backup coverage for neighboring volunteer services. The committee heard multiple local examples and closed the hearing without taking a final vote.
