Austin, TX, November 20, 2024 – The Board of Commissioners (the “Board”) of the North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 (NHCESD 1) unanimously decided to serve notice of termination of the service contract with San Marcos Hays County Emergency Medical Services (SMHCEMS), to be effective 180 days from the legal notification.

The steady growth of NHCESD 1 has created the opportunity to establish a dedicated EMS Department capable of focusing on the needs of its residents. Unlike contracted services, which may serve a wide range of areas without a specific commitment to the District and its residents, the new organizational model will be fully dedicated to the local community and ensures that all of the citizen’s tax dollars remain in the District. This transition will allow NHCESD 1 to provide a higher standard of care, with the flexibility to tailor services to the unique demands of its residents.

By taking full operational control, the Board and NHCESD 1 staff are positioned to enhance the quality of emergency care by refocusing the District residents’ tax money back into the community that pays it. Leadership will continue to work closely with the Medical Director that has served North Hays for almost 10 years to ensure there are no gaps in medical coverage, refine clinical operating guidelines, and advance the delivery of emergency medicine. This will involve implementing the latest best practices, introducing advanced training for the ambulance teams, and staying current with industry trends and medical innovations to ensure faster, more effective, and community-focused responses”

North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 (NHCESD 1) provides emergency medical services for the northern portion of Hays County, including Dripping Springs, Driftwood, and Henly. NHCESD 1’s service area covers 244 square miles.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Bob Luddy at (512) 829-4356 or email Bob.Luddy@NorthHaysEMS.org

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North Hays Co. ESD 1 – Local Media Coverage on Response Times          

Many residents of North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 (“NHCESD 1”, or “North Hays EMS”) may have missed some of the media coverage that has been published recently regarding EMS response times. Our District Administrator Doug Fowler has been interviewed by KXAN Austin and KUT 90.5 to help shed some light on some of the events having occurred around resident 911 calls and the experiences for both the patients and North Hays EMS.

The focus of both interviews is on some of the longer wait times and how it affected patients and their families, and the difficulties NHCESD 1 has faced and continues to endure in responding to a growing area with an arterial thoroughfare under construction.

From his interview with KXAN: “For the first two months of 2023, we’re seeing a 17% increase over the same time last year,” Fowler said. Because of that, they are not able to meet national standards. “Our response time from leaving the station to arriving on the scene needs to be nine minutes or less 90% of the time. Currently, we’re closer to 15 minutes,” he said.

The articles paint a very real concern for the District’s ability to keep up their level of response as the population grows and more people are on the road, but there is also a path forward; the next steps lay within the District’s strategic planning process.

Fowler, providing insight and expertise to the Board of Commissioners for North Hays EMS, has helped the District develop a plan to de-centralize the current and future stations of NHCESD 1, providing a more comprehensive and distributed response coverage model for the area they respond to. At the same time, they are implementing plans to expand the ambulance fleet and the personnel who staff them. The overall goal is to bring down response times district-wide and bring in line the response to those areas who, due to distance from current station locations, were historically underserved.

To that end, the District requires additional funding. As KUT quoted from Fowler, “You can’t get ahead when you’re underfunded.” On the May 6, 2023 ballot, North Hays EMS is asking voters to authorize an increase of the property tax rate maximum cap from 3 cents to 10 cents ($0.03/$100 to $0.10/$100 valuation of property). This proposition would not impact existing property tax rates, as it is only increasing the voter-approved property tax rate cap to the Texas State maximum allowed amount for modern ESDs. If the May 6 proposition is approved by voters, a second proposition at a later date would determine setting a new tax rate, also requiring voter approval by the residents within the District.

To review the information regarding Proposition A and the property tax rate cap election (translated in English and Spanish), you can follow this link: www.northhayscountyesd1.org/reports-resources/election-information/ The information will continue to be updated as we come closer to early voting, in both languages required by Texas State Legislature.

For the entire articles from each outlet, you can follow the links below.

KXAN Austin (Published 28 Mar, 2023): www.kxan.com/news/it-took-22-minutes-north-hays-ems-has-long-response-times-proposes-tax-rate-increase-to-help/

KUT 90.5 (Published 10 Apr 2023): www.kut.org/crime-justice/2023-04-10/north-hays-ems-needs-more-money-to-keep-up-with-emergency-calls

Did you find this information helpful? Share it with your friends and neighbors who reside in Hays County! Link this article to Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor so residents can learn more and go to the election information posted on the website.