St. James and the City of Boulder Receive a $25,000 Grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation to Study Emergency Medical Services for County Residents

During an emergency, every minute is critical, especially for those who are living in rural areas of southwest Montana. That is why having Emergency Medical Services (EMS) available to reach even the most remote members of our community is so important. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation, the City of Boulder and St. James Healthcare will conduct an Emergency Medical Response Feasibility and Planning Study to find out where care is needed and ensure everyone in the county has EMS coverage.

St. James Healthcare will partner with the City of Boulder, Jefferson Valley Ambulance District, and other stakeholders in Jefferson County to address the need for improved access to sustainable and effective emergency medical services in the county. The project will determine the feasibility of creating a county-wide ambulance district, in coordination with existing ambulance districts, to ensure the delivery of high-quality emergency medical services throughout the county, with a special emphasis on the county’s rural and underserved communities.

“As southern Jefferson county’s trauma center, we need to know what can be done to improve emergency services for our rural community members,” said St. James Healthcare President Jay Doyle. “The feasibility study will help us identify any gaps in EMS coverage for those who live in Jefferson County and will guide future decisions on how to make the system sustainable.”

A steering committee of local stakeholders will work with an independent consultant to conduct a feasibility study by gathering, reviewing, and analyzing information from key informants, local data, and other sources. The results of the 12-month study will be included in a final report with recommendations for stakeholders about whether to pursue the special district, and considerations for future work to improve emergency medical response in Jefferson County.

“Currently our EMS services are doing the best they can to ensure they can reach our residents when they are in need, but we are frequently short of EMS personnel here in Boulder,” said Boulder City Council Member Drew Dawson. “The issue is we are currently walking a very tight line. We need to get a long-range strategy in place so that as changes happen in our region will have something in place to ensure every Jefferson County resident can receive the best emergency medical care possible.”