Several members of the Lennox Area Ambulance crew attended the 2023 Annual South Dakota Emergency Medical Services convention that was held in Rapid City this year. This annual conference is a way for ambulance services across the state to network and spend time learning how to better provide medical care for their patients. Topics over the weekend included difficult airways, trauma, medical assessment, cardiac arrest, syncope, as well as what is coming through the state legislature that applies to EMS across the state.
Secretary Melissa Magstad, the Secretary of Health, met with the Executive council and the general membership of the SDEMSA explaining what her office is doing to promote EMS in the state of South Dakota. Draft legislation has been prepared to place all EMS providers, EMR, EMT, AEMT, and Paramedics under the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners for certification and licensure as well as oversight and investigation of complaints. Currently EMR and EMT fall under the Department of Health Office of EMS.
This would provide a unilateral oversight of the entire system with an advisory council appointed that will consist of EMS providers across the state. EMS has an exciting year ahead in the legislative process in South Dakota. The pinnacle of the weekend occurred when Lennox Area Ambulance was chosen as Career EMS service of the year for 2023. There are currently 124 ambulance services across the state. The 2024 conference will be held in Spearfish with the 2025 conference in Sioux Falls.