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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR Chantel SinGs: In today's stories: The school lunch debate is back on the menu. Why it takes so long to get an ambulance in greater Minnesota and what's being done about it. And firefighters may soon get heroic support from the Capitol. I'm Chantel SinGs.
Lawmakers are considering taking a bite out of who qualifies for free school lunch. A proposed bill would only allow students to get free lunch if their family is at or below 5-hundred percent of the poverty line. Right now, that means about 150-thousand dollars for a family of four. Governor Walz signed the Free School Meals for Kids Program in 2023, making lunch free for all students. But with looming education cuts to address the state's budget deficit, lawmakers are scrambling to rein in spending. If the bill passes, breakfasts will remain free for all students.
Next, ambulance response times in Greater Minnesota can take up to 30 minutes. Reporter Maija Hecht brings us an EMS perspective, when every second counts.
Spencer Adolphson: So, part of being in the rural setting is you're a little self-reliant. And I know everyone thinks, 'it's never going to happen to me,' but it definitely can.
Maija Hecht: Spencer Adolphson is a paramedic working in rural northern Minnesota, where ambulance response times have been known to take up to 30 minutes.
Spencer Adolphson: A little joke I like to say is that the best medicine is LSD: lights, sirens and diesel. They usually don't need me, a paramedic. They need a doctor or a physician or surgeon. The best kind of care a lot of people can get is just getting to the hospital as soon as you can.
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Maija Hecht: According to the US Census, Greater Minnesota has a larger share of older adults than the metro. Many of those need frequent medical care. They live in areas with fewer ambulances and low-access roads which can leave patients waiting when every second counts.
Spencer Adolphson: Out here in the rural setting, you're kind of on your own.
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Maija Hecht: EMS is funded by grants and one-time state and federal aid. Unlike fire and law enforcement, it is not considered an essential service in the State of Minnesota. Financial instability, paired with low-retention rates of volunteer-based staff, has left rural EMS in a tough place in Greater Minnesota.
Natalie Zeleznikar: As we go forward we are clear that Greater Minnesota is having an operating deficit
Maija Hecht: That was Minnesota House Representative Natalie Zeleznikar, a Republican from Northern Minnesota presenting a bill that would create a grant to cover funding gaps for EMS providers in rural areas.
Natalie Zeleznikar: We know we have to not do a band aid but have something that is lasting and long term.
Maija Hecht: While lawmakers work to create solutions for rural EMS providers, Greater Minnesotans are feeling the effects of slow emergency response. Combined with the EMT shortage, the situation has hit especially close to home for Spencer.
Spencer Adolphson: The worst happened. I was working about 30 miles away–
Maija Hecht: Spencer Adolphson was on duty when he got an unexpected call from his brother-in-law.
Spencer Adolphson: Now my brother-in-law, he works out a mine, so it was kind of odd that he called.
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Spencer Adolphson: I answered my phone and it wasn't my brother-in-law, it was my wife. And she goes, 'Hey, Spencer, just wanna let you know Dad's bleeding out and we're doing CPR.'
Maija Hecht: Spencer's father-in-law had been home, recovering from a surgery.
Spencer Adolphson: And his artery burst, and he woke up to a pool of blood in his lap.
Maija Hecht: But it was the quick response by his family members that became memorable for Spencer.
Spencer Adolphson: My wife checks pulse, she checks breathing, and he's not breathing.
Maija Hecht: So, she calls 911, and tells her brother to do CPR.
Spencer Adolphson: And fortunately, he had taken a CPR class for his work like a month prior.
Maija Hecht: His family's quick thinking–and ability to administer CPR–became the difference between life and death. They bought their father enough time for EMS to arrive, and to reach a hospital. Spencer says as residents of Greater Minnesota wait for lawmakers to address the EMS shortage there's something they can do in the meantime.
Spencer Adolphson: I would really encourage people to take a CPR class, take a stop the bleed class. That way you can get some training and also be able to help your neighbors out too.
Maija Hecht: I'm Maija Hecht reporting for North Star Stories.
ANCHOR Chantel SinGs: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Minnesota firefighters could soon see expanded support for their health and well-being, thanks to new action at the state capitol. The Minnesota House of Representatives unanimously passed an update to the Hometown Heroes Assistance Act — a program designed to help firefighters facing health and mental health challenges. The updated bill ensures that peer-to-peer counseling is reimbursable and that firefighters are taught about the risks and how to deal with job-related illnesses and emotional trauma. The bill still has to pass the Senate and be signed by the Governor.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.