I believe that we are missing out on a very viable opportunity that has been put forth by the EBCH/SafeTechSolutions plan that would upgrade our individual ambulance services in Ely, Babbitt and Tower area to Advanced Life Support and go a long way toward making them sustainable.
I am disappointed that our State Sen. Grant Hauschild, who was a leader on the 2024 Legislative EMS Task Force, hasn’t picked up and meaningfully worked on this plan. This plan truly “puts the patient first,” which is the standard goal. Importantly, because the Ely Hospital is a Critical Care Hospital, and due to the distances between the three cities, it would receive 101 percent payment from ambulance runs that are billed to Medicare, as opposed to the present 40 percent rate of return. That is a big deal because most of the runs in our area are billed to Medicare. I hope some of the other politicians, local and state, will pick up on this. How about it, folks? Our region can build a model of the future.
I do not believe that the “sprint medic” plan, covering only 60 hours of every 168-hour week, for our area is a viable long-term solution. When the current money from the Legislature runs out, where will more come from? It provides no Advanced Life Support ambulance vehicles, which are certainly needed if we are to take advantage of the benefits of the current move toward telemedicine in fully equipped ambulances that are staffed with paramedics.
I fully understand that there are parochial issues at play here. That’s not good. It makes some leaders skittish. At present, we are fortunate to have received some one-time emergency money from the state for each ambulance service. I don’t expect the Legislature to do that every year. In fact, the state budget is looking pretty tight. I also don’t believe that Sen. Hauschild’s suggestion for taxes on cell phones and on insurance companies to pay for rural ambulance service, his lure being that the metro would be the pay source, will have much of a chance getting through the Legislature when it convenes on Jan. 14. 
In the real world, I believe that a combination of the EBCH ownership of the three services, along with the creation of an “EMS Medical Services Special Taxing District.” per Minn. Statute 144F.01, will lead us to a modern, sustainable ambulance service in this three-city region. One important benefit of an EMS tax district is that it would give us local input and local control. 
I’d appreciate it if Sen. Hauschild and at least some of the other leaders could get together with EBCH/SafeTechSolutions and flesh out this plan, keeping in mind that “the patient comes first” and that there should be nothing to fear in trying. There’s much more to be said about this, but this is a start.
Lee Peterson
Greenwood Township