The Health Care Landscape in Arkansas & the 2024 Election

A new KFF tool generates data-driven fact sheets that lay out the health care landscape in every state against the backdrop of the 2024 election.  The Arkansas specific fact sheet can be found here: [KFF%20Releases%20Election%20Fact%20Sheets%20About%20the%20Health%20Care%20Landscape%20in%20Every%20State]. 

These state “snapshots” provide information on a variety of health care topics that may be the focus of campaign and policy debates. Topics include health costs; medical debt; women’s health policy, including state abortion, contraception and maternity laws and policies; health coverage, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and prescription drug coverage, Medicaid, and employer-sponsored insurance; gender affirming care; and basic information on health status, population and income. 

The new tool is part of KFF’s broader collection of Election 2024-related resources, including our side-by-side comparison of the candidates’ positions and records on health policy issues.

The EMS Voluntary Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.) is a tool designed to improve the safety, quality and consistent delivery of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It collects data submitted anonymously by EMS practitioners. The data collected will be used to develop policies, procedures and training programs to improve the safe delivery of EMS. A similar system used by airline pilots has led to important airline system improvements based upon pilot reported "near miss" situations and errors. Any individual who encounters or recognizes a situation in which an EMS safety event occurred, or could have occurred, is strongly encouraged to submit a report by completing the appropriate EMS Voluntary Notification Tool. The confidentiality and anonymity of this reporting tool is designed to encourage EMS practitioners to readily report EMS safety events without fear of repercussion.

File a confidential and anonymous report:

• Report a Near Miss Event
• Report a Patient Safety Event
• Report a Violence Event

On September 17, the House of Representatives passed S. 265, the SIREN Reauthorization Act. This legislation will reauthorize funding for a grant program to support rural EMS.

Located at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Rural EMS Training and Equipment Assistance (REMSTEA; also known as the SIREN grant program) provides grants directly to rural fire and non-profit EMS organizations. Specifically, the program funds training and certifications for EMS personnel and the purchase of medical equipment for rural EMS agencies.  The link to the full article is available here.

The Rural & Underserved Health Research Center's policy brief Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Time in an Ambulance? notes that although hospital closures in urban and suburban areas do not result in longer transport times for patients needing emergency care, rural patients do experience longer ambulance transportation time if a hospital in their zip code stopped providing general in-patient care during the previous year. According to this report, rural patients over 64 years of age are likely to experience the greatest increase in time spent in an ambulance following a 911 call.

Established by AR Code § 20-13-207, The Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council shall recommend for adoption by the State Board of Health rules on all matters relating to emergency medical services, including without limitation:

(1) Standards for licensure of ambulance and advanced life support rescue personnel;

(2) Standards for equipment required on ambulance and advanced life support rescue vehicles;

(3) Standards for vehicles used in patient transportation and advanced life support rescue response, including communications requirements;

(4) A statewide communications system for emergency medical services;

(5) Operational standards for providers of ambulance and advanced life support rescue services, including reporting requirements and standards for air ambulance and air ambulance services; and

(6) Procedures for summoning and dispatching aid.

Denise Carson serves as the Arkansas Ambulance Association appointed representative to this Council. The next meeting of the council will be on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at the Freeway Medical Building, 5800 E 10^th Street, 9th Floor Boardroom, Little Rock.  These meetings are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend.

The Arkansas Ambulance Alliance was honored to answer a state EMAC request received from Florida in response to Hurricane Helene. An ALS ground ambulance strike team mobilized, and units staged at an area east of the eye wall impact zone. The team continues to support local EMS, fire, and rescue operations in the aftermath of this major storm. Please keep each of the agencies, our professional responders, and those impacted by the storm in your thoughts and prayers.