South Dakota Day of Giving

Emergency service vehicles undergo significant wear and tear when responding to calls. To avoid critical failures that could impact a patient’s life, regular ambulance replacement is needed.

Contributions will help offset the increased cost to purchase a new ambulance due to high inflation. The new ambulance will help our EMS team continue to deliver critical, life-saving care.

Why should you ride along with us and give to our Foundation on Dec. 2, the South Dakota Day of Giving?

1. When you give, you help us bring awareness to our mission: to provide high-quality, compassionate, personalized health care.
2. The funds we raise will help purchase a new advanced life support ambulance to provide life-saving care in Brookings County and the surrounding area.
3. Be one of the 500 who gives at least $20 and your impact will be DOUBLED. Thanks to Medary Acres Greenhouses, the first $10,000 given to our campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar!

Initial ambulance order holdups are related to staffing and microchip availability, common economic woes felt in multiple industries during the pandemic. While microchip availability has improved and skilled labor shortages aren’t as extreme, those initial challenges piled up. 

Currently delays are driven by an increased demand in ambulance orders as EMS agencies across the nation plan to replace aging fleets. Lead times have increased from 18 months to two to three years. EMS agencies, like Brookings Ambulance, are now placing EMS vehicle orders even earlier to help guarantee a replacement for their fleet when existing units reach end-of-life.

When supply stays the same and demand rises, cost rises, too. From 2022 to 2024 alone, ambulance prices increased by 50%. In addition to increased EMS vehicle demand, other factors that have amplified costs include inflation; rising material costs for items such as chassis, aluminum and medical technology; and increased labor expenses.

Brookings Health System Foundation has already raised over $122,000 to help offset the increased ambulance cost. 

Every gift to the campaign matters. And when the new ambulance arrives, it will enable Brookings Health’s EMS team to continue delivering critical, life-saving care to residents throughout our region thanks to community generosity.