The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that aims to support the state’s ambulance districts. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, said Senate Bill 7 would require annual training for ambulance district board members and mandate audits every three years.
“We have many high-functioning ambulance services in the state, but we have a few that are underperforming,” he said. “Mainly it’s in the small rural districts. They have financial struggles. If they’re having trouble in an ambulance district, then sometimes they lean on the ambulance district next to them and then that puts a strain on the district that those people are supposed to represent.”
It would also give the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services the authority to deny licenses to financially struggling or understaffed districts. If a district’s license does get revoked or suspended, a neighboring district would step in to maintain service.
“The Department of Health and Social Services wanted to put a piece in there about they could deny or suspend the license for an ambulance service that didn’t operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week,” explained Bernskoetter. “That was at their request.”
He said it’s designed to hold ambulance districts to a higher standard and would make sure that if something happens to a district, another one can step in and meet residents’ needs.
“So, basically this legislation is just making sure that everybody in the state has adequate ambulance service when they have a healthcare crisis,” he said.
Another provision would expand liability protection to anyone providing emergency care or assistance.
The bill is now up for consideration in the Missouri House of Representatives.
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