It’s a troubling trend across the state — EMS providers shutting their doors for lack of funding and fresh staff.

And it’s something we all should be worried about.

You’re never more than a single slip from a serious accident. No matter your age, you could be walking around with a serious, undiagnosed medical condition and be completely unaware. There are countless possible ways you could suddenly find yourself in the position of needing competent, immediate medical help.

When that happens, minutes can be the difference between a minor incident or something life-changing, or even fatal.

When those minutes count, we rely on EMS providers to be there quickly. Financial resources not keeping up with costs and departments having trouble recruiting mean those providers that remain are stretched increasingly thin — and that means those minutes could start to add up.

Funding EMS training for those interested in pursuing a career should be applauded. Butler County Community College and the county have partnered to do just that, as have other educational and government entities across the state.

Partnering with health systems to utilize their personnel, as the county has with Independence Health System, also can help ease low-staffing woes for ambulance services.

Lastly, while no one likes more taxes, municipal funding for EMS is, unfortunately, is becoming necessary for providers to survive and serve the community.

But none of that is enough on its own. Insurance company reimbursements have failed to keep up with the rising costs of providing EMS service, and that cannot be fixed at the local level.

While the state has taken some steps toward mitigating the financial challenges facing EMS providers through tax changes, it hasn’t been enough.

It’s time for the state General Assembly to act to find more substantial ways to fund EMS service. It’s a matter of life and death.

— JP