Over 100 EMS professionals take concerns to the Capitol

By Emma Farrel, Missouri News Network
JEFFERSON CITY — Emergency medical service workers gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to speak with lawmakers about some of the biggest challenges facing their districts.
More than 140 EMS professionals traveled to the Capitol as part of an advocacy effort organized by four statewide associations. The groups met with legislators to discuss the challenges facing emergency response agencies and the policies they say are necessary to support EMS providers and patients.
The issues at the forefront were this year’s proposed property tax changes and the expansion of mobile integrated health programs across the state.
House Bill 1979 would expand the use of community paramedics, also known as mobile integrated health providers. The bill outlines how certified paramedics could provide non-emergency care outside of the traditional 911 system, including services delivered in patients’ homes.
Mobile integrated health programs allow paramedics to provide preventative or follow-up care for patients who may otherwise rely on repeated emergency calls or hospital visits. Supporters say the programs could help reduce strain on both ambulances and emergency departments.
Advocates also argue that the programs reduce costs for patients and hospitals by preventing expensive medical emergencies through more consistent care.
Justin Duncan, president of the Missouri Emergency Medical Service Association, said he felt confident about the positive changes the legislation could bring.
“Our biggest bill is around mobile integrated health care. The community paramedic bill … it’s good legislation, it’s bipartisan, it’s good for patients and it’s good for the providers,” Duncan said.
Matt Bowen, director of the Missouri Ambulance Association, said the approach represents a major shift in how EMS services operate.
“Specifically, the community paramedic mobile integrated health bill, that’s kind of the future of EMS in my mind,” Bowen said.
Historically, Bowen said, only larger EMS districts in Missouri have been able to implement community paramedic programs because of the costs involved.
“The only services in Missouri that were able to do community paramedic programs were very large services, and the reason they did it was simply to give their 911 trucks a break because they were getting called so many times — the same issues over and over again,” Bowen said. “So, now we are trying to get a source of funding for this, other than grants and just using their general budget.”
Bowen said programs like these can also reduce the strain on hospitals and EMS workers. He said the bill could prevent hospitals from being overrun with patients and ambulances constantly being on the road.
On top of the relief for hospitals, Kat Probst, executive director of the Ambulance District Association of Missouri, said the program is important in preventing burnout among EMS workers.
“For those of us that go out every single day and deal with repetitive patients over and over again, it affects burnout,” Probst said. “It’s not because we are burnt out of seeing that patient, it’s because we’re burnt out of feeling like the system doesn’t seem to support the patient.”
Though EMS leaders support the legislation, the bill has not yet been assigned a committee.
EMS workers also warned lawmakers that broader discussions about property tax reductions could significantly affect ambulance districts.
“We’re extremely concerned about what the solution is going to be if, at a legislative level, they change the ability of us to collect property tax, when over 60% of your districts in the state leverage a property tax and it’s 50% of their budget,” Probst said.
The issue comes as legislators debate several property tax reform proposals, including legislation from Rep. Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, that aim to increase rollbacks on certain property tax levies. Taylor’s bill passed in the House last week.
“We understand how it has the potential to help the individuals that are dealing with the economy,” Probst said. “But we also understand that we want ambulances to show up, we want law enforcement to be able to show up.”
Rep. Cecelie Williams, R-Dittmer, who is a member of the Special Committee on Property Tax Reform, met with EMS leaders from her district. She said maintaining stable funding for local public safety agencies is a priority.
“My goal is to make sure that we protect the services that receive property tax as their funding mechanism,” Williams said. “These services are crucial to our counties, to our local government and our citizens. Without public health safety, we will be nothing; there will be mass chaos everywhere.”