VILONIA, Ark. — It is now day 20 of the government shutdown in the U.S. and for first responders in Arkansas, it’s not Washington, D.C. that they have been keeping an eye on — but rather, it’s how the shutdown could impact how quickly help arrives when someone calls 911.
“The current crisis that the ambulance industry is facing in this government shutdown is a little bit unprecedented,” said Ken Kelley, who is the president and CEO of ProMed Ambulance and the government affairs chairman for the Arkansas Ambulance Association.
Kelley explained that most ambulance services in Arkansas depend on Medicare for somewhere between 50 and 60% of their revenue…