Rural EMS

State EMS Rural Needs Survey (2004)

In April 2004, NASEMSO released the State EMS Rural Needs Survey. This survey was conducted as part of the development of the national Rural/Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future. It replicates part of Challenges of Rural Emergency Medical Services – An Opinion Survey of State EMS Directors, a report published by Bob Bailey, Inc. for the Office of Rural Health Policy in 2000. The portions replicated include the identification of needs and issues important to the provision of rural EMS, and the perceived need for capital budget items for the provision of rural EMS. Personnel recruitment/retention remains the single most significant issue or need in the provision of rural EMS, according to both the 2000 and 2004 surveys. Financing remained a prominently identified need through both surveys, while 24/7 coverage, communications and response time emerged as far greater concerns in the 2004 survey than in 2000. Communications equipment was the most often cited capital equipment/facility need in both surveys by slight margins. Training equipment, medical equipment and ambulances were also strong finishers in 2004.

Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future (October 2004)

This document focuses on the issues pertaining to the provision of EMS in rural and frontier America. The findings and recommendations in this document are focused on the improvement of community based emergency medical services.