Ambulance service raises concern
Sarah Day — Staff WriterBLUE EARTH - The United Hospital District board of directors is keeping a watchful eye on ambulance service in the county.
Elmore's ambulance service has ceased operations because of a lack of crew members. UHD's ambulance and the Frost Ambulance have picked up the areas Elmore covered.
"Elmore has struggled for several years to keep it together down there," said hospital board member Brenda Baldwin. "It's been a real struggle for them to recruit volunteers and maintain volunteers."
Board member Larry Anderson is concerned about the future.
"I think when we look at our long term, with this whole emergency service thing we need to be serious about it. That service is so vital."
Baldwin said a county ambulance meeting is now held on a quarterly basis.
"We need to keep things in place so we don't lose our coverage," she said. "Faribault County has been at the top of the line as far as our ambulance crews. Our county has eight ambulance services, three first-responder squads. That is not heard of anywhere else in Minnesota. So we've got the volume here. Because of industry moving out and not having the populations we used to have ... we're going to see it get worse."
Anderson sees this is a huge threat to health care and the hospital. Baldwin agreed.
"TV has made the public come to expect a mobile emergency room come to their door," she said. "I would bet at some time in the future having our ambulance service become an advanced service versus a basic service."
However, she said a federal requirement is going to cripple the county's volunteer-based ambulance services. Right now, 110 hours of training are required. The curriculum is changing to anywhere between 150 and 190 hours.
"When you start asking people to put that kind of time in, it becomes a real commitment," Baldwin said.
