During Monday’s regular Labette County Commission meeting, commissioners heard from Labette Health President Brian Williams.
Williams began by noting the recent interlocal agreement with the City of Neodesha to provide emergency medical services.
“Going back, probably seven or eight years, we entered into an EMS agreement for Independence and Cherryvale, and really, it’s improved the quality of the care, because you have one medical director that then sets the protocols, because you have one medical director that then sets the EMS protocols,” Williams said. “Which improves the relationships, because they started out contentious.”
Williams said right now, Neodesha and Fredonia are both operating in that service, staffed with one paramedic and one emergency medical technician at all times.
“Prior to us taking it over, it was only a BLS service (basic life support.) They didn’t have paramedics; they had a lot of turnover, running three trucks where they don’t have the call volume to justify that amount of trucks,” Williams said. “We’re trying to run it responsibly, and the city is, and the county commissioners, and trying to do the best we can to not pass on — there is just a limit to how much
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we want to tax our citizens if we want them to stay here, and so that’s our goal.”
Williams said they are relying more on mutual aid agreements.
“We typically have two or three trucks on. So if both Fredonia and Neodesha, both out of the county, in Wilson County, then the responsibility would come to us to move a truck closer — or to Independence,” Williams said, referencing the expansion into Montgomery County. “And now, that they have become part of Southeast Kansas Health, that will include Neosho Memorial,” Neosho Memorial Regional Hospital joined the Southeast Kansas Health Coop earlier this year.
“We’re all trying to work together right now to cover the region,” Williams said.
Williams said in the first 90 days of this interlocal agreement, there have been 60 calls, where 40 patients were transported for care. According to Williams, 48% of those patients were taken to Wilson Medical Center; 17% were taken to Labette Health, and 10% were taken to Ascension. The rest were taken to other regional facilities, transported by a mutual air partner, or flown.
“I think it’s a good deal, back when I started on that board, it was to each his own,” Commissioner Vince Shibi said. “There was no collaboration. I always thought these hospitals are going to have to share resources, and I think it’s a good thing that we’re working together.”
Williams also discussed the Kansas Rural Health Transformation Program. Through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, $50 billion in federal funding will be dispersed from 2026 to 2030 in efforts to improve rural health care systems. Williams said that Kansas was awarded $222 million this year, and that the state is focused on improving rural health outcomes, improving efficiency, increasing sustainability, workforce recruitment and retention, using innovative technology and exploring innovative care models that prioritize quality while reducing costs.
Williams also highlighted that Labette Health is one of 10 eligible anchor hospitals in the state.
In other business, Commissioners heard a report from Public Works Director Sandy Krider and Assistant Director Ralph George concerning dust control and the annual noxious weed report.
The next regular Labette County Commission meeting will be held on Monday, March 16, at the Labette County Courthouse in Oswego at 9 a.m.
