On Tuesday, September 10, Henry County residents voted in favor of the Emergency Medical Services Tax in a special election. This tax will provide the additional funding for Henry County Emergency Medical Services to respond to area emergencies and transfer patients to appropriate levels of care.
“On behalf of the Henry County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Henry County residents who voted yes for the Emergency Medical Services Tax. Our gratitude also goes out to our EMS Support Committee who helped spread the word about this important vote, and to organizations and elected officials throughout Henry County that supported this measure through resolutions, letters of support or community hearings,” commented Joel Prottsman, Henry County Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Memorial Hospital Board of Trustee Chair. “The passage of this measure ensures additional funding that will guarantee that Henry County EMS will continue to serve the emergency healthcare needs of county residents.”
Unlike fire and police, the State does not consider EMS an essential service. Funding for EMS is limited unless the Henry County Board of Supervisors and public took action. In June, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring Henry County Emergency Medical Services (HCEMS) as an essential county service. The next step was for county residents to vote at a special election on September 10 to approve a tax levy for EMS programming.
HCEMS is owned and operated by Henry County Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Memorial Hospital. Due to the current property tax cap for HCEMS under hospital ownership, the hospital cannot continue to offer HCEMS and cover the revenue shortfalls. This is consistent with the state trend showing that the former model of EMS is no longer viable. As of November 2023, 12 Iowa counties have received voter approval to levy for EMS programming. Nearly a dozen additional counties in Iowa are seeking public support in upcoming elections and/or are working on proposals to do so.
HCEMS provides vital emergency medical services for Henry County residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These services include emergency medical care, critical care transfers, medical transports, education and support to county first responders, public health education, and special event coverage.
The passing of this measure means that EMS will stay in Henry County and continue to serve the emergency healthcare needs of area residents. The current $0.27 hospital ambulance levy will go away. A new county ambulance tax levy of $0.75 will instead be implemented, which is a $0.48 increase over the current hospital ambulance levy rate. New EMS taxes raised will total approximately $737,860. This meets current budgetary needs and is essential to fund operations of a county EMS program.