The New York State Rural Ambulance Services Task Force (RASTF) was formed specifically to “examine, evaluate, and make Proposals for the functionality and betterment of operations of ambulance services in rural areas of New York State.”
The Task Force represents a wide variety of emergency medical service (EMS) stakeholders, community leaders, professionals, and subject matter experts in New York State, with members appointed by the Governor, the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems (Bureau), Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), Department of Labor (DOL), the Temporary President of the Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Assembly Minority Leader.
This report is the result of research, strategic workgroups, town hall events with EMS stakeholders, and creative critical thinking examining and evaluating the New York State EMS system to make Proposals to develop and promulgate a plan for improvement of the services in rural areas the state.
The phrase “EMS in Crisis” has been commonly used to characterize the destabilized situation of EMS systems in counties, regions, and states across the United States as well as here in New York State. To identify key issues, facilitate valuable discussion, and formulate constructive suggestions for improvement, the Rural Ambulance Services Task Force focused on four topicspecific subgroups: funding, staffing, standards, and systems. Detailed discussions and proposals from each subgroup are included in the substance of this report.
Read the full report here: View the Report