Ordinance 9 was created in 1984 to establish standards to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the people of Hennepin County by ensuring the availability of rapid and appropriate pre-hospital emergency medical treatment when people call 9-1-1. Ordinance 9 regulates Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that are dispatched by Ambulance Providers to respond to 9-1-1 calls that originate in Hennepin County.

Since the last amendment to the Ordinance in 1999, EMS has changed significantly; the level of training required of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) has increased, the types of medical treatment that can be provided in the pre-hospital setting under standing orders have expanded, and improvements in coordinated dispatching and communications between ambulance providers, dispatchers, communications centers, and hospitals have developed more coordinated systems.

Additionally, in 1995, the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board (EMSRB) was established by the Minnesota State Legislature and was delegated many regulatory duties that Hennepin County’s Health Authority previously managed in the absence of the EMSRB, Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144E, and Minnesota Rules Chapter 4690. Thus, the County proposes several revisions to Ordinance 9 to reflect changes in pre-hospital care and regulation.
On April 12, 2022, a public Hearing on the proposed revisions to Ordinance 9 was held before the Health and Human Services Committee of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. The public and interested parties were notified of the proposed revisions to the Ordinance and provided with the opportunity to comment at the public hearing or in writing. On April 26, 2022, the Health and Human Services Committee of the Hennepin County Board discussed the
proposed revisions to the Ordinance. At the April 26th meeting, the Board voted unanimously to lay over a vote on the proposed revisions until the Health and Human Services Committee meeting on May 24, 2022.

Most of the comments during the public hearing on April 12th and the Board’s discussion on April 26th were about the revisions at Section VII, Subsection 1 in the proposed revised Ordinance that would require providers that are subject to the Ordinance to staff Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances with at least one (1) Paramedic and at least one (1) Emergency Medical Technician, while current Ordinance 9 requires that ALS ambulances be staffed with at least two (2) Paramedics. Other comments during the public hearing on April 12th and the Board’s discussion on April 26th were about the revisions at Section VII, Subsection 4 in the proposed revised Ordinance that would require providers that are subject to the Ordinance to provide patients with a choice of destination hospital and honor that choice unless certain circumstances are present. The resolving clauses above allow the Board to vote separately on the proposed revisions at Section VII, Subsection 1; the proposed revisions at Section VII, Subsection 4; and the remainder of the proposed revisions.

This request reduces disparities in the health domain by ensuring the availability of rapid and appropriate pre-hospital emergency medical treatment.

Current Request: The current request seeks the adoption of proposed revised Ordinance 9 to establish standards to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the people of Hennepin County by ensuring the availability of rapid and appropriate pre-hospital emergency medical treatment when people call 9-1-1.