Photo courtesy of Henry County Emegergency Medical Services social media

On Tuesday, September 10, Henry County residents voted in favor of the Emergency Medical Services Tax in a special election. The State considers fire and police services an essential service but does not consider EMS an essential service. In June, the Henry County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring Henry County Emergency Medical Services (HCEMS) as an essential county service. The next step was for county residents to vote at a special election on September 10 to approve a tax levy for EMS programming. HCEMS provides emergency medical services for Henry County residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services include emergency medical care, critical care transfers, medical transports, education and support to county first responders, public health education, and special event coverage. The passing of this measure means that a new county ambulance tax levy of $0.75 will instead be implemented, which is a $0.48 increase over the current hospital ambulance levy rate. New EMS taxes raised will meet current budgetary needs and will fund the operations of the county EMS program.