Rob:  That’s because emergency medical services in Oklahoma continue to struggle to fill staff vacancies.  Earlier, I discussed this issue with Gina Riggs the director of emergency medical services for Kiamichi Technology Center.  Well, Gina, this is a crisis that has neither an easy, nor a quick, answer to it.
Gina Riggs:  You’re right, Rob.  It really doesn’t.  There are so many things that come together that make up EMS, whether it’s the local ambulance services in your area that are struggling to survive, to keep staffing; those EMTs that are staffed and make minimum pay, end up leaving the career.  It’s the training programs that train these EMTs.  So it’s a shortage of EMTs, or students coming into the programs, that the training programs are having trouble staying open to train quality EMTs, and then instructors to train those EMTs.  It’s a big circle, and it’s really a big problem.
Rob:  And, not to discount the crisis that’s going on right now, but there has been some progress that’s made.  You’re a member of the Governor’s taskforce.  Tell us what’s going on.
Riggs:  Yes.  Actually the Governor’s taskforce, which started two years ago, gave the report to the Governor, and in fact this year, we’re really proud of the fact that our report and our taskforce and EMS as a whole made it into Governor Henry’s state of the union address this year.  And, we were really proud of that fact, and he did take it, as EMS, a priority for Oklahoma.  And it is.  It’s the struggle across the state.  We’re in a huge crisis, and it’s not going to get any better unless we get some fixes for it.  It’s only going to get worse.
Rob:  And one of these fixes is truly, funding.
Riggs:   It is.  It is funding.  We’re really excited.  We just had a bill pass in the legislation that addresses funding at the county level, the 522 districts is what they’re called.  And it’s a constitutional amendment in Oklahoma that allows local ambulance services within that county to receive a millage from the property taxes.  And when that passed, many, many years ago, the tax base was set, the millage was set at three mills.  And as you know, we’ve lost 50 ambulance services just in the last five years, and it’s for funding and staffing that has been the problem.  Well, now the legislation has passed that bill that we can take it to the vote of the people of Oklahoma to increase that millage.  It will go to a vote of the entire state, after that, then it must go to the county, and the county has to vote if they want to increase their local tax millage for their service.  So, it’s a huge hurdle to jump through, but at least the legislation’s listening to us and has helped us there.
Rob:  And, this is one of those issues, that, you know, we may not think about it, but when we need it, we really need it.
Riggs:  You bet.  When your child, and the ATV flips over on your child, and you’re screaming for an ambulance, and you live in a community that doesn’t have a dedicated ambulance service, because we’ve lost those fifty services, that’s a very frightful experience.  And you know, EMS is kind of the step-child; we’re a forgotten public service.  You know, we always know police is going to be there, and fire is going to be there; but EMS, since we’re still kind of in our infancy, is not really there when we need it in some communities.  And I’m not sure that the citizens really know that, and I hope they pay attention to it.
Rob:  Well, it may be in its infancy, but something that is vital to all our well beings.  Keep us posted.
Riggs:  I will.  Yes.  Thank you for taking this on; definitely.
Rob:  Thank you, Gina.
Riggs:  Thank you.