Rural Ambulances on the Brink of Collapse as Funds Plummet

Rural health care experts say large coverage areas, fewer patients are causing a funding crisis for emergency care.

Ambulance crews are becoming extremely limited in rural areas. In some places, the results could be nobody responding to a 911 call. More than a third of all rural EMS are in danger of closing after the pandemic further stretched resources and funding.  With its rugged terrain and wide open spaces, Wyoming is still the wild frontier. That’s the draw of places like Washakie County. The trade-off? The nearest major trauma hospital is more than two and a half hours away.  For rural residents, access to emergency medical services, paramedics and an ambulances can mean that everything becomes a life or death issue.