Oregon County Ambulance

08/05/2025

Air Evac doing what they've done best for the last 40 years, providing high-quality patient care and facility access to the citizens of Oregon County! We appreciate your service!

07/04/2025

OCAD would like to wish you all a happy and safe Independence Day!
God Bless America!!! 🇺🇲

06/10/2025

We appreciate Air Evac 1 for their quick response to a very sick patient today. We are grateful for the service they provide to our communities!

06/06/2025

Let us never forget this day or the sacrifices made upon the alter of freedom.

06/02/2025

Happy birthday to our Executive Director Dustin Kirkpatrick! We appreciate what you do for Oregon County and its citizens! We hope you have a wonderful day!

05/14/2025

Yesterday, OCAD participated in a Community Helpers event at Alton R-IV School. We were thrilled to have all the elementary and Head Start students explore our ambulance and learn about EMS. We would like to extend our appreciation to the Alton School Administration for inviting us to this event!

05/09/2025

This Nurses Week, we extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible nurses whose compassion, strength, and unwavering dedication make a lasting difference every single day. You are the hands that heal, the hearts that comfort, and the calm in the storm for so many. Through long hours, emotional challenges, and tireless commitment, you continue to show up with grace and courage. Your work often goes unseen, but its impact is felt in every life you touch. Thank you for being the backbone of our healthcare system and for the love and humanity you bring to your profession. You are truly heroes. Oregon County Ambulance District appreciates you!

04/22/2025

A big thanks to Survival Flight 9 for their response in our county today! Providing access for our citizens is a tremendous asset, and we appreciate their service.

Pictured here is one of our paramedics, Mr. Jack Davis

04/15/2025

The 4-H of Oregon County will be hosting a Safety Day on Saturday, April 26th from 1 pm- 4pm at the county lot across from the license bureau in Alton (old drive thru bank). This event will be free to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend! OCAD will be there to provide you with health and safety information, as well as information regarding EMS. Come out and bring your family! We look forward to seeing you there!

04/09/2025

The Oregon County Ambulance District would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the citizens of Oregon County for the passage of the sales tax increase for the District. This is hugely beneficial for the health and safety of our citizens for the continued successful operations of our ambulance service! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

04/07/2025

Tomorrow is the General Municipal Election, and Oregon County has several things on the ballot that are very important to you. One those important issues is the sales tax increase for the Oregon County Ambulance District. I want to advise you of the importance of this measure and why this is much needed for our county.
• State and Federal guidelines set the amount that Ambulance services are allowed to bill a patient for. OCAD does not determine the amount.
• Many insurance companies don’t pay the entire ambulance bill. Some companies only pay a fraction of your bill requiring the district to bill you for the remaining balance. This is called Balance Billing.
• The cost of equipment, supplies, employee wages and benefits, among other things has drastically increased in the last 13 years. There has been an over 75% increase in the costs of medications alone.
• The Oregon County Ambulance District is currently in a paramedic staffing crisis with a shortage of paramedics. This is not a local issue, but a nationwide shortage of paramedic personnel. OCAD currently has paramedics working 72-96 hours per week or more. If this continues, it will result in increased burnout and fatigue among our staff, and it is costly for the District in paying overtime wages. OCAD is committed in providing the county with paramedic ambulance services. However, this is not sustainable in our current state. Alternative methods will need to be explored such as reducing an ambulance to a BLS unit, meaning an ambulance would not be staffed with a paramedic. A BLS unit cannot provide advanced life saving skills, and we want to avoid this at all costs.
• The Board of Directors has diligently managed the funds and assets of this District in a cost-effective manner, continuing to provide high quality emergency medical services to this county. The state of our economy coupled with the rising costs of the above-mentioned expenses has stressed the financial burdens placed upon the District.
The Oregon County Ambulance District is requesting to increase the sales tax from .5% to 1% for the successful continued operation of this ambulance service. This means that for every dollar spent in Oregon County, an additional half a penny would be collected.
• If this tax increase passes, it would allow the District to purchase much needed upgrades in equipment and supplies.
• It would allow us to create incentives to hire and retain highly trained and qualified paramedics. This would reduce the costs spent on overtime wages, but more importantly, it would ensure continued 24 hour paramedic coverage for the county.
• The passage of this measure would also allow the District to no longer be required to balance bill our patients. This means that we would accept whatever your insurance company pays and you would not be obligated to pay the remaining balance.
The Oregon County Ambulance District has made extraordinary efforts to provide you with the best high-quality emergency medical services in a prudent and cost-effective manner in these difficult times. However, many things are outside the control of this District. Therefore, we are leaving this in the hands of the people we serve.
We are not in any way telling you how you should vote. We simply want to provide you with information on how this tax increase would benefit the people of Oregon County and to allow you to make an informed decision regarding this measure.
We consider it an honor and a privilege to serve you, and we will continue to give you our very best because we care about you!

04/01/2025

OCAD would like to remind you to pay close attention to the weather this evening and through the weekend. We have the potential for more severe weather tonight and tomorrow, but the main threat will be the possibility of significant flooding this weekend. Please review the following Flood Safety Information from the National Weather Service.

* Monitor the NOAA Weather Radio, or your favorite news source for vital weather related information.
* If flooding occurs, get to higher ground. Get out of areas subject to flooding. This includes dips, low spots, drainage ditches, canyons, washes etc.
* Avoid areas already flooded, especially if the water is flowing fast. Do not attempt to cross flowing streams. Turn Around Don't Drown™
* Road beds may be washed out under flood waters. NEVER drive through flooded roadways - you do not know the condition of the road under the water. Turn Around Don't Drown™
* Do not camp or park your vehicle along streams and washes, particularly during threatening conditions. Move to higher ground if heavy rain or rising water occurs. Creeks and streams can rise very rapidly during heavy rainfall.
* Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.
* If you must evacuate your home, secure your home and if possible, turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
* Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
* Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.
* Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.
* A foot of water will float many vehicles.
* Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) and pick-ups.

Play it smart, play it safe. Whether driving or walking, any time you come to a flooded road, TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN!

More information can be found at www.weather.gov/tsa/hydro_tadd

The Oregon County Ambulance District cares about your safety!

* Monitor the NOAA Weather Radio, or your favorite news source for vital weather related information. *If flooding occurs, get to higher groundGet out of areas subject to flooding. This includes dips, low spots, drainage ditches, canyons, washes etc. * Avoid areas already flooded, especially if the....