Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Panel advances 'distressed ambulance' program to address rural EMS closures, refers funding to appropriations
Summary
The Senate Human Services Committee voted 5–1 to advance a bill creating a Distressed Ambulance Service Program that would identify struggling ambulance services, require corrective action plans, and allow state coordination when local responses fail.
The Senate Human Services Committee voted 5–1 to advance Senate Bill 2033, legislation that would create a Distressed Ambulance Service Program to identify ambulance services at risk of failing and help develop plans to maintain emergency medical services in affected areas.
Senator Kristen Rohrs introduced the measure as a product of interim work on ambulance sustainability. Adam Parker, advocacy chair for the North Dakota EMS Association, described the drivers behind the bill: volunteer shortages, rising costs to staff ambulances, and the strain on neighboring services when one provider fails. "The level of service that you get is directly related to the cost that the public has to provide to support," Parker told the committee, summarizing the tradeoffs communities face between staffing…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
