At least 4.5 million people nationwide live in an ambulance desert, where they are farther than a 25-minute drive from an ambulance station, according to a 2023 study. In Nebraska, more than 80% of emergency medical providers are volunteers working in sparsely populated areas where there are too few calls to justify having full-time staff, according to a 2019 study. Rural ambulance services have been strained by a largely unprofitable business model, the pressure of the pandemic and recent struggles to hire people willing to undertake extensive training and work a high-pressure job for free, emergency medical personnel say.
Read the full article: Your Ambulance Is on the Way. ETA: 65 Minutes. //
Source: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/your-ambulance-is-on-the-way-eta-65-minutes-0431facd