South Dakota rural ambulance service

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s EMS team staff the single ambulance station that serves their reservation in rural South Dakota. (Courtesy of Rosebud Sioux Tribe Communications Department)

You might need an ambulance, but your state might not see it as ‘essential’

BY: - September 11, 2023

When someone with a medical emergency calls 911, they expect an ambulance to show up. But sometimes, there simply isn’t one available. Most states don’t declare emergency medical services (EMS) to be an “essential service,” meaning the state government isn’t required to provide or fund them. Now, though, a growing number of states are taking […]

Aberdeen Fire & Rescue paramedic interns are trained on LIFEPAK monitor defibrillator equipment. (Courtesy of Aberdeen Fire & Rescue)

State spends $11.6 million to update equipment for South Dakota ambulance services

BY: - March 29, 2023

Dozens of ambulance services in rural South Dakota have been operating for years with outdated or broken patient care tools because the agencies don’t have enough money to purchase new equipment, but that’s beginning to change thanks to an infusion of funding. Gov. Kristi Noem and state lawmakers approved three initiatives in 2022 that allocated […]

Humboldt, SD ambulance services will get a boost from telehealth.

State hopes $1.7M telemedicine program will boost rural ambulance service

BY: - November 20, 2022

South Dakota Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agencies and paramedics hope a partnership between the state and a Sioux Falls-based telemedicine provider will bolster rural ambulance service. The partnership with Avel eCare addresses questions of viability for South Dakota’s 130 ambulance services. Several EMS agencies operate in areas up to an hour’s drive away from a […]