The side view of an ambulance.
EMS

Starr County Memorial Hospital is the community's sole 911 ambulance service provider. We service Starr County which encompasses 1223 square miles and approximately 65,000 citizens. We operate 24 hours 7 days a week and 365 days a year. We have 4 substations located throughout the county to strategically service the different areas of the county. Substations are located at Starr County Memorial Hospital, Alto Bonito, Roma, and San Isidro. We employ 30 medics to provide the required staffing coverage. We add new units to the fleet to always ensure the highest quality. We operate at an MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) Level of response which is the highest level of response the state of Texas licenses for ground ambulances. We provide the highest level of ambulance units available which come at a cost of approximately $200,000 per unit and we outfit the unit with necessary medical equipment needed to meet state requirements at an additional cost of approximately $150,000. All expenditures come from the same tax base the Hospital District collects. This is uncommon in the sense that most other hospital districts or publicly funded EMS services create a separate taxing district for 911 services.

Ambulance Utilization

We are 911 Emergency response service and do not provide medical ambulance transportation for non-emergent situations. An emergency can be defined as: "a medical situation in which an immediate response to a scene is required to prevent life or limb-threatening medical deterioration of a person requiring emergency medical treatment." Any transportation needed for appointments and outpatient services should be contracted through the several qualified transport companies within the county.