Funding EMS in the Big Horn Basin

With Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and ambulance programs not being required to operate and be funded within the State of Wyoming, programs around the state are finding various ways to maintain operation and serve their communities.

The issue ultimately stems from EMS not being considered an essential service by the state, unlike police and fire departments.

On Jan. 22 during an AARP Wyoming webinar regarding EMS, the governor’s senior health and human services advisor, Jennifer Davis, said, “I think we’ve all just come to expect that somewhere, [EMS] has been funded. But that is not true […] The public needs to know that this service may not exist at its current capacity if we don’t do something. And the question is, ‘Are they OK with that?’ And if they’re not, then we got to figure out how to fund this.”

See more information about the difficulties of maintaining EMS programs around the state in a Northern Wyoming News article published on Jan. 25, featuring Davis and others.

The Northern Wyoming News took an indepth look at EMS services in the Big Horn Basin.

WASHAKIE COUNTY

EMS is funded in Worland and Washakie County by the Washakie County Commissioners and generated revenue from patients.

Cody Regional Health EMS Director Phillip Franklin said they apply all revenue generated from EMS responses in Washakie County to their operational costs, and the commissioners pay the difference.

The operational cost includes the salaries and benefits of employees, maintenance and supplies. In Washakie County, Franklin said there are four ambulances and two quick response utility vehicles.

In Ten Sleep, a volunteer ambulance service is operated, and gets mutual aid from Cody Regional Health.

Director Becky Mills said the program is owned by the Town of Ten Sleep, which helps to pay some operating fees. However, Mills said most of the funding comes from collecting fees from patients.

The program has 10 volunteers and two ambulances.

HOT SPRINGS COUNTY

Ambulance services in Hot Springs County are operated by Mortimore Funeral Home in Thermopolis.

Manager Mark Mortimore said their services are contracted by Hot Springs Health hospital, and they operate with paid volunteers.

They typically have around 16 volunteers with advanced EMT training, according to Mortimore.

BIG HORN COUNTY

According to Big Horn County Rural Health Board Chairman Ken Nelson, the board pays for the contracted services of Cody Regional Health through a special taxing district formed in 1990 in southern Big Horn County.

“We receive funding from county property taxes at four mills. We receive no other funding from the county or cities we serve,” said Nelson. The program covers Basin, Greybull, Shell, Manderson, Hyattville and others unincorporated within the tax district.

With the fundings from the mills, the district has two ambulances and 11 full and part-time paid staff that all reside within the tax district.

“We feel it is important to keep our tax dollars providing jobs for our taxpayers,” said Nelson.

They additionally pay for search and rescue continuing education opportunities, wilderness first responder training, paramedic training and provide emergency medical equipment to multiple rural fire departments.

North Big Horn Hospital provides EMS for Lovell and surrounding communities, according to North Big Horn Hospital EMS Director and paramedic Scott Murphey.

Murphey said the ambulances are owned by North Big Horn Hospital and operations are subsidized by the hospital. The service itself makes no money, he said.

Murphey noted that the hospital is part of a tax district as well.

The North Big Horn Hospital ambulance covers around 12,00 square miles, providing services to Lovell, Frannie, Deaver, Cowley, Bryon, 20 miles south of Lovell, east to the Sheridan County line and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Murphey said they have 20 paid staff members and operate three ambulances.

Based in Burlington, another service is operated by 14 volunteers and serves Burlington, Otto and Emblem, said the program’s assistant director, Amanda Neves.

Neves said the program does not charge patients for its services, although they do accept donations, and receives funding through a fire tax district. The volunteer service has two ambulances.

PARK COUNTY

In Powell, a hospital tax district and Powell Valley Healthcare fund an ambulance service.

Chief Nursing Officer Arleen Campeau made the distinction that the tax district paid for the five ambulances, while the hospital itself pays for the staffing and ambulance upkeep.

EMS/Emergency Room manager Scott Bagnell said they have 35 staff members that are all paid.

Campeau said their program covers Clark, Ralston, Deaver, Frannie and Powell.

In Cody, Franklin said Cody Regional Health’s EMS is funded by the revenue received from EMS responses and inter-facility transfers.

“Transfers is a needed revenue stream for ground EMS services to defray the cost of operations,” said Franklin.

Throughout the Big Horn Basin, Franklin said Cody Regional Health has 72 employees, ranging from EMTs and paramedics, pilots, flight nurses and others. They have a total of 15 ambulances and five quick response utility vehicles.

Within Park County, they have seven ambulances and three utility vehicles.

The Cody service area includes Cody, Meeteetse, Wapiti, Sunlight, Crandall and the East and Northeast entrances of Yellowstone National Park.

Franklin noted that Cody Regional Health also provides mutual aid to the following services – Powell Valley Healthcare EMS, North Big Horn Ambulance Service, Ten Sleep Ambulance Service, Mortimore Ambulance Service, Burlington EMS, Yellowstone National Park EMS and Cooke City EMS in

Montana.