Item Description:
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Establish a public hearing for comment on the staffing requirement (Section VII, Subsection 1) of Ordinance 9 - Emergency Medical Services on February 5, 2026
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that a public hearing to obtain comments on the staffing requirement (Section VII, Subsection 1) of Ordinance 9 - Emergency Medical Services be held before the Health Committee meeting of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, February 5 at 1:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as practicable. Comment for the public hearing can be made in person or via telephone, by calling the toll-free dial-in telephone conference number (855) 946-3351.
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Background:
Through Resolution 22-1055R1 on June 7, 2022, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners adopted several revisions to Hennepin County Ordinance 9 - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) except proposed changes to the staffing requirement (Section VII, Subsection 1), which would mirror the Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) EMS staffing requirements in Minn. Stat. §144E.101 (144E). Section VII, Subsection 1 of Ordinance 9 was suspended until December 31, 2025, to allow for more time to study the impact of changes to the staffing requirements.
Ordinance 9 had previously required a two-paramedic staffing model (2-medic) for nearly all 9-1-1 EMS responses in Hennepin County; the new staffing standard proposes a minimum of one paramedic and one emergency medical technician (EMT), or the 1-1 model, for 9-1-1 ALS responses and added an option for Basic Life Support (BLS) responses for 9-1-1 requests.
On July 1, 2025, the Public Health Department provided a final report to the Board that supports the proposed revision to Ordinance 9, to adopt Minn. Stat. §144E.101 staffing standards. The Public Health Department agreed on November 24, 2024, to provide a report on the Hennepin County EMS Council’s pre-hospital stroke and trauma performance measures, after a full year of data from 2025 has been collected by the EMS Council Quality Standards Committee. The Public Health Department requested a continuance of the suspension of Ordinance 9 - Section VII: Staffing until March 31, 2026, allowing the Board time to review 2025 pre-hospital stroke and trauma performance while EMS Providers were following Minn. Stat. §144E.101 staffing standards.
For questions regarding Ordinance 9 prior to the public hearing, please contact Kristin Mellstrom at 612-348-6001 or chd.ems@hennepin.us.
This action moves towards the elimination of health disparities in the health domain by providing additional time to review and assess to ensure the staffing model used is the optimal framework to provide essential EMS services to residents.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval