July 15, 2023 - PBS Newshour's reporter, Ali Rogin, featured an interview with Nick Nudell, American Paramedic Association, discusses the challenges facing rural America in access to ambulance services.
With only a few states in the US recognizing EMS as an essential service, coupled with low pay, Nudell answers the question what other factors are at play causing a workforce shortage.
"With elected officials really just kicking the can down the road and not owning the problem of funding." Nudell continues, "That leaves the service provision to the volunteers and other community members who often have bake sales, spaghetti sales, or other local fundraising efforts to pay for the fuel or to buy ambulances if EMS was declared as an essential service."
"Finding funding mechanisms that would be sustainable for providing the service that would go a long ways towards being able to support the rural ambulance services especially and could address the ambulance desert issue."
We know that a state recognizing EMS as 'essential' does not mean it will have a sustainable mechanism for funding, pay equity or retirement parity with police and fire services. Often these bills prevent EMS services from strike or allows for binding arbitration.
The State of Maine has published a September 2022 document detailing what states recognize EMS as essential, what the designation means, the structure of EMS in the state, and funding.
