NPR for Northern Colorado
In The NoCo

Behind the emergency that's threatening ambulance services, paramedics

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In Hinsdale County, there's only one paramedic on staff who doubles as the director of emergency medical services. Any other first responders there are volunteers. One in 10 Colorado EMS agencies has all-volunteer staff, and Colorado is the only state in the U.S. without centralized oversight of its EMS system.

Many of Colorado’s healthcare workers are burned out, as we heard from Kaiser Permanente staff who walked off the job last week. Staffing shortages are largely to blame — and this is an issue that is also affecting first responders.

KUNC statehouse reporter Lucas Brady Woods recently reported on the dire state of Colorado’s ambulance services. He sat down with In the NoCo's Robyn Vincent to explain why ambulance services are facing their own emergency and how it is affecting some EMTs and paramedics.

In this episode, we discuss a state reportthat helped inform Woods' story. It outlines the problems facing ambulance services in Colorado.

In The NoCoEmergency Medical Services (EMS)Health CarePoliticsLabor ShortageRural
In The NoCo
KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
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