Face the State
NORTH FORK, Colo. — In the wake of a projected $100 million state budget shortfall, two state lawmakers are poised to run a bill that will ask for a $1 increase in vehicle registration fees to help fund access to ambulances and other emergency medical services throughout rural parts of the state.
According to Randy Kuykendall, chief of the Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Section at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the increase would be directed primarily at developing rural emergency medical services, including recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers for rural areas. Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and Rep. Cherylin Peniston, D-Westminster, are sponsoring the legislation.
Rural communities rely heavily on volunteers to staff local ambulance services and many say they are struggling to fill open positions. Supporters of the new fee allege that small tax bases in these towns makes establishing a taxpayer-funded ambulance service very difficult, and meanwhile, demand doesn’t exist to fund a private service.
Full Story: Rural ambulance department desperately seeking volunteers