About Us/Operations

What We Do  :  Quick Facts  :  History  :  Service Area Map

The Eagle County Health Service District was formed in 1982 as the Eagle County Emergency Services Hospital District. We did business as Eagle County Ambulance District for much of our history. In 1996 however, it became possible to organize the District as a Health Service District. By so doing the District positioned itself to provide not only paramedic and ambulance services but also to consider such additional health care missions as paratransport services, senior health and convalescent services and community clinics. The District is prepared to serve the taxpayer and guest in the 21st Century as the county’s only Health Service District.

The District responds to medical calls from two 24-hour staffed stations – one located adjacent to the Vail Valley Medical Center and the other from its headquarters station located 14 miles west in Edwards.

The staff provides full ALS (Advanced Life Support Services) and brings nearly 100 years of collective experience to your call for help. You can be certain that each paramedic is an emergency medical specialist whose sole job is medical care. The District’s part-time EMT staff is often employed by ski patrol, hospitals, clinics or fire departments and provides the essential support for the paramedics and patient transport needs.

An established Quality Assurance program ensures the highest patient quality care and provides the oversight of the District’s medical director. Local fire departments provide first response medical capability and the expertise and equipment for extrication, heavy rescue and fire suppression. We value the team approach to your emergency!

An elected five-member board of directors helps ensure emergency medical care is accountable to the medical community and operates in a fiscally responsible manner. Funding for the District is a combination of patient fees and property taxes. The District’s administrative staff stands ready to answer your questions pertaining to patient medical billing and the often difficult interpretation of today’s health insurance payment and privacy requirements.

In 1995 the District became one of the first medical transport agencies in Colorado to become nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). Today it remains one of only three agencies in Colorado and only 95 in the United States to achieve the strict standards that exceed state and local requirements for ambulance services.

Additional services of the District include special event medical consultation and coverage, residential emergency medical evaluation and first aid preparedness for businesses. The District’s automatic defibrillation program has placed more than 20 units in eastern Eagle County for first responder use.

Paramedics, EMTs and firefighters worked several hours to extricate the driver of this semi truck after it rolled 200 feet down an embankment.