Rural EMS in Texas
Rural EMS in Texas
When the Hospital Closes,
EMS Is What’s Left
In countless rural Texas communities, the local EMS agency is the last line of healthcare standing. When the hospital closes, the ambulance is what answers the call.
EMS: The Only Provider Left in Many Rural Communities
TEMSA President Michael Furrh tells us about the challenge.
Click to watch on YouTube
EMS: The Only Provider in Many Rural Communities
For many rural communities in Texas, the EMS agency might be the only health care provider in the community. Few states have experienced as many rural hospital closures as Texas, and once a rural hospital closes, the local EMS agency might be the only remaining health care provider.
Rural EMS agencies face the same challenges as hospitals and physicians in rural communities: staffing shortages, declining insurance reimbursements and much more. Despite these challenges, many rural EMS agencies have stepped up to offer incredible care to their communities.
Legislative Victories for Rural EMS
The 2025 Texas Legislature delivered numerous legislative victories for rural EMS agencies, including the rural EMS grant program through HB 3000.
“Because It’s a Rural Community, It’s Hard to Get Education to Come to Us. SB 8 Helped Us.”
A Texas paramedic shares how SB 8 brought critical EMS education and training opportunities to rural communities that had long struggled to access them.
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“What Happens If Nobody Is Available to Answer the Phone?”
“Earlier this month, the ambulance company for northern Brewster County shut down after the death of its longtime owner Mike Scudder. Now, officials are working to answer an urgent question for the area: who will answer the phone when someone calls 911?”
— Marfa Public RadioAcross thousands of square miles of the Big Bend region, a patchwork of EMS models — non-profits, fire-based services, county-run agencies, and private companies — covers what hospitals and traditional providers cannot. When one agency falters, the entire region feels it.
West Texas: One of the Most Unique EMS Environments in the Country
A Texas EMS leader speaks at the Capitol about why providing emergency medical care in West Texas requires meeting challenges unlike anywhere else in the country.
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“It’s Hard Out Here for an Oil Field Medic”
“Anthony explained that EMTs and medics work such ungodly hours in part because the pay for EMS workers is shockingly low and they need the overtime. With the mean annual wage for Texas EMS workers clocking in at about $37,550, many work two or even three jobs to eke out a living.”
— Texas Monthly
EMS on the Frontlines of Texas Energy and Agriculture: Casey Ebrom of Karnes County EMS
Casey Ebrom of Karnes County EMS describes the demands of providing emergency medical services in the heart of Texas’s energy production and agricultural regions.
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Stand With Rural Texas EMS
Rural EMS needs allies in Austin, in Washington, and in every Texas community. Join TEMSA, support our work, or get in touch.
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