Riley County EMS notes bump in calls at Station 2 thanks to community care services

By AJ Dome, The Mercury

In what the Riley County EMS director called a rare shift, the county’s downtown EMS station recorded more emergency calls last month than the county’s main station at 2011 Claflin Road.

David Adams told Riley County commissioners Monday that April data showed 479 total ambulance calls, mostly for sick people and for those who had fallen. Adams says Station 2, at 11th and Poyntz reported 154 calls, outpacing the 131 calls into Station 1 on Claflin Road.

The community care team, which Adams oversees, comprises first responders from Riley and surrounding counties. The team assists patients in the area with things that are not emergencies but are still important to their health, such checking diabetic patients’ blood glucose levels and rearranging furniture in an elderly person’s home to mitigate the risk of falls.

Adams also noted Monday that the newest EMS outpost in Leonardville noted 28 calls since its construction last year. Adams says the generator at the facility is operational and says drywall work on the building continues.

Adams presented May 9 a 2025 budget request totaling nearly $6.3 million, with the most notable cost increases being in patient billing.

Adams said in a memo that the projected cost was based on increased call volume, operation of the new Leonardville station and the headquarters station being under construction. The budget also includes the purchase, repair and replacement of existing and new equipment.