Can a ‘sprint’ to a medical emergency solve states’ EMS shortages?

The “EMS emergency” declared by Minnesota lawmakers in February is far from over, but rural services in the state recently got some good news. Despite the 2024 session coming to a close on Sunday amid a raucous cacophony of angry shouting over a tax bill, legislators started the weekend off harmoniously with the approval of a $30 million aid package for rural emergency medical services.

The bill sent to the governor secures $24 million in emergency aid for EMS providers in Greater Minnesota, specifically the area outside the seven counties of the Twin Cities region or the state's non-urban areas more generally. This legislation would create a new Office of Emergency Medical Services to oversee Minnesota’s EMS network. And, most notably, it would provide $6 million to launch a “sprint medic” pilot program in three counties in northern Minnesota.

The sprint pilot would test the effectiveness of sending out a single paramedic in a car or truck directly to an emergency to begin treatment. The idea is that these roving paramedics who would be patrolling the area have more training than emergency medical technicians that make up the bulk of rural ambulance crews. They could reach emergencies more quickly, shaving minutes off response times, and, in some cases, resolve calls to keep ambulances with advanced-life support equipment from being dispatched unnecessarily.

“Nothing like it has been tried on this scale in Minnesota to my knowledge,” said Becca Huebsch, the EMS director in Perham, Minnesota, and one of the officials who will help implement the pilot program.

The sprint paramedic strategy is part of an effort to confront the state's worsening rural emergency response. Response times for ambulances in Minnesota have been getting longer. The EMS worker shortage has become debilitating. And the funds to provide ambulance care are getting tighter and tighter.

“In some communities, the situation is becoming dire enough that not only are the ambulances not sufficient, but there’s not even someone to answer the phone when 911 calls the ambulance company,” David Kirchner, evaluation coordinator for the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, told Route Fifty in April.

The bill headed to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk is far less than the $120 million initially requested. But supporters say it still provides some much needed relief.

“Our EMS network is facing a dire financial situation throughout the state, threatening the ability of Minnesotans to get the urgent care they need. It truly is a life or death situation for thousands of people especially in Greater Minnesota,” said state Sen. Grant Hauschild, who helped work on the bipartisan legislation, in a statement. “This emergency aid is urgently needed to provide an immediate lifeline that will help stabilize EMS and ensure people in communities like the ones I represent and throughout Minnesota continue to get the care they need.”

If the bill is signed, the sprint medic pilot program would run in Otter Tail, Grant and St. Louis counties for two years. Huebsch wants to launch the program on July 1, but a lot of pieces would have to fall into place for that to happen, including the purchase of equipment, hiring and even licensing.

Under the pilot, depending on the type of call, a sprint paramedic might be sent out first to assess a patient, or at the same time as an ambulance is dispatched. If the emergency is serious and a transport to a hospital is needed, the paramedic could leave the sprint vehicle behind and monitor the patient during the ambulance ride.

“Generally the concept is to try to create a more flexible response system in lieu of a transporting ambulance,” said Huebsch. “The biggest benefit is flexibility and collaboration. We are hoping this strengthens the EMS system as a whole.”

Another benefit, Huebsch added, is that the pilot could promote equity by providing more advanced life-support care in communities where it is lacking. “There are a lot of geographic inequities in Minnesota,” she said, “where the service provided depends on your level of income. This could help address that.” 

The concept is not new. Huebsch said that “the sprint paramedic model has been around or on people’s minds for quite some time” and has gone by many names, such as fly cars and intercepting paramedics. It is typically used in larger, more urban settings. Huebsch has not heard of it being applied to rural areas—at least not in Minnesota. Fire departments in the Twin Cities, for example, often have paramedics on fire trucks or send them ahead in separate vehicles, reported the Star Tribune. New Orleans has a sprint EMS unit, which was featured several years ago on the EMS reality show “Nightwatch.”

Huebsch praised lawmakers for passing the bill, explaining that the three counties could not implement the pilot without state funding. “Ambulances have been struggling so much financially,” she said. “We were just trying to stay operational. We needed state support.”