MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — Rural Emergency Medical Services in Wisconsin face unprecedented challenges.
James Small is EMS Outreach Program Manager with the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health.
“One of the things we’ve demonstrated is that between 40 and 50% of our ambulance services aren’t able to respond to a call 24-7, 365 as required to. I think that’s something that’s been well documented at this point based on our research at the Office of Rural Health and has been talked about a lot in the media,” Small said.
“I think that these people are doing everything possible to keep those wheels turning and there comes a point when it becomes impossible, especially when they need to make a living for themselves and they’re either a volunteer or a near volunteer with the amount of compensation that they’re getting for their system.”
Issues impacting rural EMS include funding, along with staff retention and mental health. The Office of Rural Health has developed EMS F.O.R.W.A.R.D. to strengthen EMS reliability, sustainability, and resilience through coordinated, long term system improvement.