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Patriot EMS announces station closures and workforce reduction
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT Patriot Emergency Medical Services announced that it will consolidate operations, close multiple stations and reduce its workforce by approximately 50%, citing what the company described as mounting financial pressures tied to inadequate reimbursement rates and delayed insurance payments. The announcement comes amid growing concern across the region about ambulance availability, including in
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Ambulance coverage at risk in Martin County as Patriot EMS faces layoffs, closures
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — For Martin County residents, calling 911 has long come with a basic expectation: an ambulance crew will arrive in time to make a difference. Now, amid layoffs, missed payroll and station closures at the region’s largest private provider, county officials are preparing for a possibility that once felt
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Mingo County officials react to Patriot EMS abrupt exit
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BELO, W.Va. — Patriot EMS abruptly ended operations in Mingo County, removing its trucks and equipment without notice Feb. 6 and leaving county officials searching for answers in one of Appalachia’s most remote regions. When the Ohio-based Patriot EMS abandoned its station along Route 65 in Belo, county officials said
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KY lawmaker wants EMS reimbursements increased to address shortages
by Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern February 4, 2026 FRANKFORT — Emergency responders are warning that in Kentucky’s ambulance deserts they are often overworked and underpaid and use old equipment to treat patients who may live 90 minutes from the nearest hospital. They gathered Tuesday in support of a bill that would result in higher reimbursements
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Patriot Ambulance pulls out of Mingo County without warning, leaving rural EMS coverage in question
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BELO, W.Va. — On a stretch of U.S. 119 near Belo, a building that once promised help now sits empty. Feb. 6, without warning, Ohio-based Patriot Ambulance Service pulled its trucks and equipment from its station along Route 65, ending its operations in Mingo County, West Virginia. County officials said
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Martin County calls for citizens to join emergency response team
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County officials are rallying residents to join a newly formed citizen emergency response team to prepare the community for potential disasters. County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty and Emergency Management Director Clyde Adams issued the call for volunteers on Friday. They emphasized that last year’s tragic collapse of the
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Martin County anticipates surge in visitors for Harvest Fest with enhanced emergency plans
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Emergency Management and 911 are preparing for an anticipated surge in visitors at the upcoming Harvest Fest, where country music artist and American Idol winner Noah Thompson is set to perform Sept. 14. EM director Clyde Adams and 911 director Nick Endicott shared their enhanced emergency
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Martin County Emergency Management director takes new job as Area 8 manager
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT INEZ — Kayla May, the director of Martin County Emergency Management, has accepted a position with Kentucky Emergency Management as the Area 8 emergency response manager. Area 8, based in Hazard, encompasses 12 counties: Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, Pike and Wolfe. May will begin her new
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PMC celebrates inaugural Eastern Kentucky Rural EMS Training class
PIKEVILLE — On Thursday, 19 men and women from Eastern Kentucky attended a ceremony to celebrate their completion of the Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) Eastern Kentucky Rural EMS Training program. The inaugural class of the new program marked a milestone for PMC in its efforts to work collaboratively with other organizations to advance the level
