Item Description:
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Adopt proposed amendments to Hennepin County Ordinance 9 - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Section VII, Subsection 1: Staffing; and revised names and definitions in the ordinance, as written
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners adopts the proposed amendments to Ordinance 9 - EMS, Section VII, Subsection 1: Staffing, and revised names and definitions as written within the ordinance.
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Background:
On June 7, 2022, the Hennepin County Board adopted several revisions to Hennepin County Ordinance 9 - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) except proposed changes to the staffing requirement (Section VII, Subsection 1), that would mirror the Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) EMS staffing requirements in Minn. Stat. §144E.101 (144E). Ordinance 9 had previously required a two-paramedic staffing model (2-medic) for nearly all 9-1-1 responses in Hennepin County; the new staffing standard proposed 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 some 9-1-1 requests.
After the Hennepin County Board’s approval of an amended version of Ordinance 9, the EMS Council was instructed to study the public health benefits, costs, impact on the public's access to ambulance services of acceptable quality, equity, and impact on the orderly development of regional systems of emergency medical care relating to staffing ALS ambulances with at least two paramedics versus staffing ALS ambulances with at least one paramedic and at one EMT. Three staffing study reports were submitted by staff on behalf of the EMS Council to the County Board that supported amendments to the staffing requirement so it would follow the Minn. Stat. §144E.101 staffing standards. An additional report on EMS Providers’ stroke and trauma performance measures data from 2024-25 was also submitted to the County Board.
A final decision on staffing requirements is due on or before March 31, 2026 when the suspension of Ordinance 9 Section VII, Subsection 1: Staffing will terminate.
This action supports the county’s disparity elimination efforts in the health domain by supporting workforce development in the communities served by EMS providers.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval