Rural ambulance services in northern Minnesota are lacking vital resources, which often means dangerous wait times for residents that could result in life or death.
Officials have estimated that in some areas of the state, wait times for an ambulance could be as long as 40 minutes.
The Minnesota Rural Health Association’s Mark Jones says the solution starts with fixing the current staffing model.
“In our rural communities, we need to take a really good look at whether relying on our volunteer workforce is a sustainable solution, and if it’s not, what are our other options? If we’re looking at paying staff, where are we going to find those dollars?” Jones asked. “Because right now it’s estimated that the volunteer workforce in the ambulance industry in Minnesota is contributing to about $50 million in donated labor.”
Jones says the hope is to encourage more funding from both state and federal levels to allow small towns to attract more ambulance crews.
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