Kittitas County

National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be celebrated this year from May 15 through May 21.

Most EMS staff in Kittitas County are unpaid first responders or emergency medical technicians who volunteer for Basic Life Support organizations.  In Upper Kittitas County, the only Advanced Life Support organization is Upper Kittitas County Medic One.  Advanced Life Support organizations have a paramedic ready to respond to life-threatening emergencies at all times.  Paramedics have the highest level of training among emergency responders.

“The response provided by EMS can be critical to the survival of patients who experience a medical emergency,” said Floyd Rogalski, President of the Board of Commissioners for Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2.  “Our residents showed their strong support of our EMS responders in February 2016, and we thank them for their support.”

In February 2016, voters of Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2 approved a permanent property tax levy for emergency medical services (EMS) of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.  This levy supports the operation of Upper Kittitas County Medic One ambulance services, including staff, ambulances, supplies, and facilities in upper Kittitas County.  User fees pay for less than half of the cost to operate the ambulance service.  The rest is covered by the EMS levy.

Please join Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2 in thanking the volunteer and career first responders of Kittitas County during National EMS Week. 

Geoff Scherer has accepted a part-time position as Operations Manager for Upper Kittitas County Medic One, the primary ambulance provider for Upper Kittitas County.

Scherer will spend eight hours per week in his new role of Operations Manager. His responsibilities will include the management of Medic One staff, maintenance of daily operations, and provision of regular operations reports to the Superintendent and Board of Commissioners for Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2 that govern Medic One.

As the mayor of Roslyn and a long-time resident of Upper Kittitas County, Scherer is uniquely familiar with the area that Medic One covers. 

Scherer is also a registered nurse.  He has worked at KVH Urgent Care – Cle Elum and in the Emergency Department at KVH Hospital in Ellensburg since 1996.  He will continue to hold those positions part-time. 

The formal collaborative relationship between Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue (KVFR) and Medic One that began in 2014 will also continue.  KVFR will to provide oversight and backup for Medic One operations. 

Upper Kittitas County Medic One is a service of Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2, which is primarily funded by local property taxes.  The public hospital district also subsidizes a portion of the operations of KVH Urgent Care – Cle Elum to ensure access to after-hours healthcare.

On February 9, voters of Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2 approved a permanent property tax levy for emergency medical services (EMS). 

The levy will take effect on January 1, 2017.  It will replace the current EMS levy which expires on December 31, 2016.  Both levy rates are 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, meaning a house valued at $200,000 pays $50 a year in property taxes. 

The EMS levy supports the operation of Upper Kittitas County Medic One ambulance services, including staff, ambulances, supplies, and facilities in upper Kittitas County.  User fees pay for less than half of the cost to operate the ambulance service.  The rest is covered by the EMS levy.

Voters had approved levy funding for the past 18 years, in six year cycles.  The permanent nature of the new levy will remove funding uncertainty and provide stability in operations.  The hospital district will now have the permanent capability to levy property taxes of up to 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation during their annual budgeting process. 

“I believe it is good business to eliminate the cost of running a levy every six years when it has been shown that the levy is necessary to maintain the operations of Medic One in the upper county,” said Floyd Rogalski, President of the Board of Commissioners for Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2.  “With this vote, residents have shown their support for the continued availability of the Medic One program.”

Upper Kittitas County Medic One operates one full-time ambulance staffed 24 hours a day and a second ambulance which is staffed 12 hours a day.  Both are staffed with a paramedic and an emergency medical technician (EMT).