Scurry County EMS Director Jason told commissioners during the July 1 budget workshop that staffing additions are needed to both fill shift gaps and support a new prevention‑focused role intended to reduce avoidable ambulance transports.

Jason proposed adding one staff member per shift (three positions total) and a community‑care coordinator who would focus on fall prevention, frequent‑caller follow‑ups and transitional care support for patients discharged from higher‑level facilities. He said the coordinator would enable the service to perform callback programs and limited in‑home interventions — actions intended to keep patients out of the emergency department when appropriate.

On revenue impacts, Jason said the county had “lost about $40,000 this year in patient receipts approximately with city ambulance coming in and doing, taking our taxpayer dollars for paying customers,” and described private ambulance companies’ practice of conducting paid transfers to tertiary facilities. Commissioners asked how often simultaneous transfers occur; Jason estimated roughly three times per week and said added staff would allow the department to cover transfers without drawing down front‑line response capacity. He also said the county will explore training partnerships with regional colleges to bolster EMT recruitment.

Jason flagged rising professional‑services and maintenance costs (billing vendors and equipment preventative maintenance) and said some reimbursement lines had moved between bookkeeping categories in the draft budget. He said documentation and explanatory pages were available behind the EMS section in commissioners’ binders and offered to provide an itemized list of professional services if the court wanted it.

The commissioners did not take a formal vote on EMS staffing at the workshop; the proposal will be reconsidered as staff refines the budget ahead of the scheduled Aug. 19 adoption vote.

Quote: “We have lost about $40,000 this year in patient receipts approximately with city ambulance coming in and doing, taking our taxpayer dollars for paying customers,” Jason said, framing the staffing request as partly revenue‑driven.

Next steps: Staff to include EMS' requested positions in the preliminary budget package and return with any additional documentation and cost estimates before the August meeting.