Gov. Abbott signs rural EMS bills

Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 18 and House Bill 3000 on Sept. 9 at the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) conference in Austin. These laws aim to improve rural emergency medical services in Texas.  

"It is essential that we do more for rural Texas and rural health care,” Abbott said. "That is why we made one of the largest investments ever for mental health hospitals and facilities to cover the entire Panhandle and the Uvalde community. This funding will make Texas more efficient in delivering preventative health care.” 

HB 3000

HB 3000 creates a new state grant program that will help rural counties purchase new ambulances. The program is expected to begin Jan. 1 and will be administered by the Texas Comptroller’s Office. 
 
It offers: 

• Up to $500,000 to counties with populations under 10,000. 
• Up to $350,000 to counties with populations between 10,000 and 68,750. 

Who’s Eligible? 

• Private safety entities and public health agencies licensed by the Department of State Health Services operating in predominately rural areas. 

HB 18  

Also known as the Rural Health Stabilization and Innovation Act, HB 18 will help rural hospitals apply for state and federal health care financing. 

It offers four new grant programs that will be awarded based on: 

• Financial risk.
• Disaster recovery needs. 

• Innovative care initiatives.

_{Gov. Greg Abbott spoke at the TORCH conference before signing rural EMS bills on Sept. 9.}

Why Rural Counties Need Support 

Many rural areas face significant challenges due to their remote locations and limited access to health care services. For example, Presidio is 90 miles away from the nearest hospital in Alpine and only has one ambulance.  

According to the Texas Hospital Association, 21 rural hospitals closed in the past decade, and many rural hospitals eliminated key services like labor and delivery. 

Learn more in the County magazine article, “Texas Takes Action on EMS.”