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Amberwell, Atchison County officials discuss EMS staffing, transfer delays and equipment gaps
Summary
Amberwell hospital leaders and Atchison County commissioners reviewed data on patient transfers, raised concerns about paramedic shortages and equipment availability, and agreed to share more detailed transfer and staffing data for budgeting and contingency planning.
Amberwell hospital leaders told the Atchison County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28 that rising non‑emergent and emergent patient transfers have strained local EMS resources and occasionally required outside ambulance services to conduct time‑sensitive transfers.
The meeting matters because delayed transfers and limited local transport capacity can affect patient outcomes, push county EMS crews beyond safe duty hours and influence county budgeting and staffing decisions for emergency services.
Amberwell presenters — Amy Folsom, executive director of patient care services; Alicia Sorensen, chief nursing officer; and Dr. Feldman, emergency department director — shared August–December transfer data showing many transfers (including acute strokes and heart attacks) went to outside ambulance services rather than Atchison County EMS. They said the nearest helicopter service previously based in St. Joseph is no longer available, the nearest is in Lawrence, and tertiary hospitals are often at capacity and unable to accept transfers quickly.
Hospital leaders raised three recurring problems: (1) transfer times that can exceed clinical time windows for acute conditions such as STEMI and stroke; (2) staff fatigue and attrition at the county EMS, including an imminent paramedic retirement and a second potential departure; and (3) intermittent equipment availability or malfunction during transfer (for example, IV pumps and ventilators), which has delayed at least one time‑sensitive case the hospital cited.
County commissioners and Amberwell agreed the parties should exchange more detailed, categorized transfer data — including counts of truly time‑critical transfers (e.g., door‑to‑cath lab and time‑to‑thrombolysis cases), destinations, and reasons for transfer — to help the board evaluate whether dedicated transport resources or other budgetary changes are warranted. Amberwell offered to provide breakdowns by transfer reason and a regional comparison to other critical‑access hospitals.
Hospital leaders also flagged long‑term goals to expand in‑county services and specialty access over a multi‑year timeline and recommended documenting protocols and legal protections if hospital nurses or other staff must accompany patients on county ambulances when paramedics are unavailable.
Commissioners requested that Amberwell send the transfer data and comparisons to the commissioners’ shared email address for follow‑up. County Counselor Patrick (Pat) Henderson said the county would review liability and protocol questions before authorizing any change to who accompanies patients on transports.
The hospital representatives asked commissioners to notify Amberwell directly if they learn of specific cases that require review; Amberwell said it will investigate any episode where patients were returned to a nursing facility instead of being transferred when transfer was indicated.
Commissioners said the data will inform budget planning and any potential contingency measures (recruiting, equipment investments or changes to on‑call coverage). Amberwell and county leaders agreed to follow up with the requested data and a subsequent discussion.
The county requested that Amberwell include the name and date of the specific case cited by a commissioner (January 3, per the commissioner) so the hospital can investigate that incident.
