GRIMES COUNTY RESIDENTS CALL FOR IMPROVED EMS RESPONSE TIMES
Grimes County residents and officials expressed frustration over emergency response times at an EMS meeting last week.
The EMS committee, which reports to the Grimes County Commissioners Court, says CHI St. Joseph Health is the only provider for ambulance service in the county. This has led to long response times, with some reports saying it can take up to an hour for EMS to respond to calls.
Recently, CHI St. Joseph announced they would be adding a fourth ambulance for the county, which will handle non-emergency transfers. The additional ambulance will be based in Navasota, which would have two out of the four ambulances in the county.
CHI St. Joseph announced Monday that they would be dedicating a new helipad for emergency helicopter landings in Bedias. The county is looking at EMS call data to determine where demand is present in Grimes County, and if additional ambulances are needed. The fourth ambulance is scheduled to be in service by August 1st.