In a powerful piece titled “What if You Call 911 and No One Comes?”, NBC shined a spotlight on the growing shortage of EMS personnel in rural areas across the country. The story focuses its narrative on the challenges to maintaining reliable EMS services in Hebron and Marmarth, North Dakota, but it explains that their stories are not isolated incidents. The situations in Hebron and Marmarth aren’t isolated; they come at a time when demand for health care in rural America far exceeds the supply of people necessary to provide that care. Fewer rural hospitals mean ambulances need to travel even farther distances, often in rough terrain or on unmarked roads, causing even more challenges in emergency situations.
