Commissioner reports on EMS and privacy

Jody Shadduck-McNally said the State Emergency Medical Trauma Services Advisory Council discusses rural health, emergency EMS response and support for rural first responders; she said HTUF funding had been reduced and was in some jeopardy, affecting important programs. She described Pathways for EMS as a grant providing first responders, especially in rural areas, access to behavioral-health support and counseling after difficult experiences, and said many counties struggle to fund EMS and manage emergency response times. Shadduck-McNally said she and commissioners from across the state were exploring legislation to establish more data-privacy guardrails.