Description
July 25 on The Story: Multnomah County and ambulance company AMR have been in talks to solve record-low ambulance response times since January, with the county setting a deadline of next Wednesday to find an agreement or settle with AMR.
KGW tracked more than 14,000 incidents in 2023 in which emergency dispatchers called for an ambulance, but no crews were available. AMR has pointed to a nationwide shortage of medical responders, saying that it has been exacerbated by Multnomah County's requirement that ambulances be staffed by two paramedics, instead of the more common one-paramedic, one-EMT model.
Though Chair Jessica Vega Pederson stated in February that she "won't be bullied into any kind of quick fix," there may be some wavering on the county's hard stance, with city leaders testifying in support of a one-paramedic, one-EMT model.
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