By Brian Arola
The Free Press
MANKATO, Minn. 鈥� Minnesota鈥檚 鈥渂and-aid鈥� funding for ambulance services in 2024 needs to be followed up by longer-term solutions this year, said panelists during a roundtable discussion on rural emergency medical services Tuesday.
The Minnesota Ambulance Association organized the roundtable in St. Paul, with a live stream available for remote attendance.
Last year鈥檚 鈥渂and-aid,鈥� as panelist Erik Simonson, a lobbyist at the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, put it, came in the form of $24 million in one-time funding for Emergency Ambulance Service Aid across the state. At the end of the session there was acknowledgement among lawmakers that more needed to be done, Simonson said.
鈥淲hat happened last year was good, but it鈥檚 only the beginning and we need a sustainable solution long-term,鈥� he said.
The discussion highlighted how stretched ambulance and emergency medical services are, particularly in rural Minnesota, from both a funding and staffing standpoint.
Panelists spoke about how reimbursements from federal Medicaid and Medicare programs don鈥檛 adequately cover the costs of services provided. In rural Minnesota, an added problem comes when subsidies from municipalities, the state and the federal government don鈥檛 make up the difference.
鈥淭hat model is getting more difficult as the cost of running an ambulance is growing every year,鈥� said Michael Juntunen, president of the Minnesota Ambulance Association.
He used Nashwauk in northern Minnesota as an example of the plights rural communities face when trying to fund ambulance services. The city explored selling its ambulance services in recent years after trying and failing to get neighboring municipalities to pitch in on the costs.
Although the ambulance service served other communities, Juntunen said, the other municipalities didn鈥檛 want to raise their tax burdens.
鈥淣ashwauk had to continue taking the lion鈥檚 share of that cost,鈥� he said. " ... It shows there鈥檚 a lot of stress happening in the industry and we should have a better way to sustain it.鈥�
Sorting out the funding side would help the workforce side, he added, noting more people are leaving the industry than are entering it.
For rural ambulance and EMS providers, the funding stakes are high right now, said Rebecca Huebsch, director of Perham Area EMS.
鈥淲ithout some sustainability in funding we surely won鈥檛 survive,鈥� she said.
Randy Strohmeyer, executive director of Lake County Ambulance Service, called on EMS providers to bring more awareness of themselves to their communities. Many don鈥檛 understand how important their role is and what the impacts would be of losing it, he said.
鈥淭he biggest thing we can do right now is make everyone aware,鈥� he said.
Simonson described still feeling optimistic about legislators coming together on a plan for ambulance service funding this year. His remarks alluded to the power of the Minnesota House remaining in stalemate as of Tuesday.
In the absence of federal support, he said, the state 鈥渁bsolutely has a responsibility to step in and keep these operations afloat.鈥�
漏 2025 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.).
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