Council Connect Articles

Stanislaus County Discussing New EMS Agency Designation Fees

Who

  • Hospital Council
  • California Hospital Association
  • Stanislaus County
  • Member hospital leaders

What

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted earlier this year to withdraw from Mountain-Valley Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency — a Joint Powers Authority including four other counties — to create its own single-county local EMS agency to improve services, achieve greater regulatory compliance, and have oversight over EMS programs. This change will take effect on July 1. Stanislaus County leaders informed local hospital executives of this change, but they never discussed the potential impact this could have on the designation fees to be paid by hospitals for designations of trauma, stroke, STEMI, and other programs. The financing plan for the new agency was recently released. It relies mainly on hospital designation fees which are as much as 420% higher than the current fee structure

Takeaway/Next Steps

Stanislaus County postponed the Board of Supervisors meeting on the designation fees by one week to May 3. Hospital Council continues to convene a series of meetings with Stanislaus County and member hospital leaders to discuss the proposed designation fees intended to fund the new Stanislaus County EMS Agency as well as develop an advocacy strategy for our members to lobby the county supervisors.