EMS assessment being done in Lincoln County

DAVENPORT — Emergency medical services (EMS) has been a long-time conundrum in Lincoln County. The sustainability of volunteers, access to resources, and response times are familiar issues that are discussed among communities and professionals, and it can be a passionate topic. Recent growth in remote areas of the county has also posed unique challenges for EMS agencies.

Because of this, community partners and the Lincoln County Health Department (LCHD) have hired a consultant to assess the current EMS system, identify the areas for improvement and provide recommendations on how to have a sustainable system to meet the needs of the county now and in the future.

The 2024 Community Health Assessment (a separate assessment conducted focusing on health priorities in Lincoln County) done by LCHD calls attention to the need for an improved approach to EMS and notes community concerns regarding this service. So, when the Lincoln County Health Collaborative saw this and were strategizing how to best use funds they had received from the region’s Accountable Community of Health (ACH), Better Health Together, they allotted a portion to go toward hiring a consultant to explore how to best address the issue.

“We are very fortunate to have the EMS services and volunteers we currently have in Lincoln County – they do a phenomenal job,” said Carey Guhlke-Falk, Director of Community Collaboration for LCHD and facilitator for the Lincoln County Health Collaborative. “but we need to look at ways it can be done which better serves our growing and changing population and the drastic drop in volunteers these agencies have relied on for so long.”

The assessment will look at the number of EMS agencies and their individual structures, jurisdictions around the county, response performance, finances and revenue streams, peak-time demands, volunteerism and training, equipment and vehicles and dispatch.

Lincoln County and LCHD will manage the contract and Public Consulting Group was chosen as the contractor after an RFP process due to their extensive work with rural counties and EMS agencies.

The assessment process is expected to take about six months to complete and will involve all Lincoln County EMS and emergency response agencies. The results of the assessment will be shared with EMS agencies and local governments who will decide what, if any, actions need to be taken to support and improve EMS in Lincoln County.