DARLINGTON — Gov. Tony Evers visited the Lafayette County EMS building in Darlington on Thursday, Feb. 17 to discuss his plan to support rural EMS services with nearly $30 million.

In his 2022 State of the State address given Feb. 15, Gov. Evers plan to supplement the Funding Assistance Program (FAP), which provides annual grants to all public ambulance service providers, create a new grant program to help those providers who are not eligible for FAP and fund a 16% reimbursement rate increase for private and municipal ambulance providers for transfers.

“We can’t ignore the fact that EMS is important in all areas,” Evers said.

The investment includes $20 million, provided through the state’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, that will go to EMS providers for whatever help they need the most, like increasing staffing, training first responders or purchasing medical equipment or supplies.

Two of the biggest challenges for rural EMS that Lafayette County EMS Director Shawn Phillips sees and says they need are people and money.

Rural Medical Ambulance Service ran the ambulance service in the area for over 40 years as a volunteer service. In December 2020 the county approved to take over the service as an on-call volunteer service. In May 2021, the county board approved becoming a paramedic department after issues with staffing.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake commented that of the $20 million of the ARPA funds, $8 million would be distributed by population basis to FAP. The remaining $12 million will be provided to those more rural areas with volunteer services that do not qualify for FAP to use for whatever they need, as one-time, flexible grants.  

“It is focused on areas with fewer resources, to help rural Wisconsin,” Evers said.

He went on to add that this is only the start and won’t make things perfect, “but for the Darlington’s of the world and rural EMS, it is a significant step forward.”