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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Rodella

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/26/08

HB 496

SHORT TITLE Village of Cuba Ambulance Services

SB

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$125.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 496, Making an Appropriation to Contract for Ambulance Services for the Village of

Cuba in Sandoval County, appropriates $125.0 thousand from the general fund to DFA for the

purpose of ambulance services.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $125.0 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DOH notes that New Mexico has approximately 450 Emergency Medical System (EMS)

services. Many services are located in rural communities that have difficulty with providing

financial support for day-to-day operations of a service. When emergency medical services are

not provided to the community, patients will not be treated or transferred to appropriate care. If

these services are not provided to the community, it is necessary for other health and medical

services to backfill the emergency medical services. Patients in these communities may suffer

due to longer response times and a diminished level of care.

House Bill 496 – Page

2

The Village of Cuba has a total population of 590 people. Residences are spread out and

personal transportation is limited for some families. The ambulance service is a critical safety

net for both residents and tourists. The ambulance service that serves the Village of Cuba is

certified by the Public Regulation Commission as an Intermediate Life Support ambulance

service. It has a physician medical director, EMS service director and a training coordinator. It

responds when dispatched for all medical and traumatic health emergencies within the Village of

Cuba and all of western Sandoval County.

WEP/mt