In prehospital settings, clinicians make difficult decisions that need to be made quickly and be within their scope of practice and skill set.

Recent rural hospital closures influence clinical and ethical dimensions of emergency care.

EMS responses are critical functions of local governments, yet, in rural areas, many EMS systems are staffed by licensed volunteers.

Dr Siân Lewis-Bevan joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr Stephen Powell: “What Might the Past Suggest About Rural Emergency Services Amidst Critical Access Hospitals’ Decline?”

EMS care in rural areas of the United States has suffered from being chronically under-resourced and understaffed.

Representative Eric Emery joins Ethics Talk to discuss how rural EMS workers manage time as a critical resource and how legislative policy can help direct resources toward improving rural EMS service.

Cultural humility, cost-effectiveness, equity, and tribal sovereignty are key to improving EMS responsiveness in AI/NA rural communities.

Barriers to maintaining EMS in rural areas include personnel shortages, long travel times, and austere settings.

James Small joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: “How Should Rural EMS Funding Streams Be Improved?”

Private equity firms exacerbate health inequity by driving hospital closures in historically underserved communities. Now nonprofit health systems are also vulnerable.