Greene County Emergency Medical Services saw an increase in call volumes in 2017.

Emergency Management Coordinator Dennis Morlan said to the Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Monday that EMS responded to 818 calls for services last year. For the last seven years, calls for service have been steadily on the rise. In 2016, there were 753 calls for service. Morlan noted that 2017 was the busiest year he’s ever had with the ambulance service.

He pointed out that due to changes in Medicaid and Medicare, he has seen a significant decrease in reimbursements for services, and there’s also been a decrease in salaries. With the changes, Morlan said he’s had two full-time employees with EMS switch to part-time. He is also having a hard time finding volunteers to be trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). He mentioned that there are 3.5 EMTs in Grand Junction and three in Churdan.

Morlan also told the Supervisors that it’s no longer fun to do what he’s doing anymore, but he will continue to provide services to Greene County residents.