Hours Away from the Closest Hospital | Rural Emergency Medical Services | Idaho Reports

Most of us agree that the best part about Idaho is its gorgeous, wide open spaces. But there’s a risk for those of us who live or play outside of metropolitan areas: If you get injured, it may take a while for help to reach you. That’s no surprise, but that wait may be longer than you expect.
In 2021, the Office of Performance Evaluations published a report on emergency medical services in rural Idaho, highlighting funding and staffing challenges and pointing out that about 7 out of 10 emergency medical workers are volunteers. The EMS Sustainability Taskforce plans to work with lawmakers in the coming legislative session regarding the issue. In the leadup to those tentative discussions, producer Ruth Brown spent time this summer visiting parts of Idaho where EMS directors say they are struggling with inadequate funding.
#idleg #idpol #idaho
--------------------
Idaho Public Television: www.idahoptv.o...
Blog: blog.idahorepo...
Podcast: / idaho-reports
Twitter: / idahoreports
Facebook: / idreports
© 2022 Idaho Public Television | Idaho State Board of Education, an agency of the State of Idaho