BOISE, Idaho- The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is addressing declining rates of emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas of the state.
Information shared by the department on Feb. 21 articulated why decreasing EMS personnel poses a problem for the Gem State.
“Idaho has nearly 2,000 EMS volunteers making up over 40% of EMS providers statewide,” the department said.
In rural areas of the state, nearly 70% of EMS is volunteer. While urban areas of Idaho have maintained sustainable levels of emergency response, rural Idaho’s health infrastructure is stressed by lowering numbers of emergency medical response professionals.
“If the current trend continues, many rural communities will be at risk of longer EMS response times due to the lack of EMS personnel,” the department said.
The department is responding to the challenge via the Emergency Medical Services Sustainability Task Force.
Healthcare across Idaho, particularly birth and reproductive care, is amongst the lowest ranked states in the nation, partially due to lower wages for medical personnel in Idaho compared to surrounding states.
The Sustainability Task Force hopes to find ways to address that funding gap including better wages and benefits for healthcare workers, in addition to introducing new telemedicine options across the state.
