Pinnacle: Tips for Working With Local Officials

Between the financial struggles, workforce shortages, pandemic hurdles, and other challenges facing EMS these days, it’s rarely seemed more important to maintain good relationships with local government. A pair of EMS/government experts offered some tips for that Thursday at the Pinnacle EMS Conference in Marco Island, Florida.

Bobby Hopewell, MA, BA, EMT-P, is president and CEO of the EMS Survey Team and Mobile Health Resources. A paramedic who has served with multiple EMS agencies and hospital systems in Michigan, he was also the longest-serving (2007 to 2019) mayor of Kalamazoo. Bruce Moeller, PhD, now a consultant with Fitch & Associates, is a retired fire chief and former county executive. His 30-year public-sector background includes stints as chief of staff and assistant county administrator in Pinellas County, Florida. He’s been a medic for more than 20 years. Fitch’s Anthony Minge, EdD, posed them questions, first from the EMS perspective, then from the public official’s.

These key takeaways may benefit your future interactions with your own local leaders.

• Building relationships is worth it—EMS of all sorts is built on relationships, Moeller noted, in all directions: leaders above, employees below, and peers to either side. Hopewell described his time with a fledgling service that had to build connections from the ground up. By “building and building and stacking brick after brick,” his service ultimately won the local 9-1-1 RFP.
• Effort breeds support—EMS is trusted and liked in most communities. Capitalize on that with a presence on boards and committees that touch the EMS mission. Leaders value subject matter expertise. Support may not always equal funding, but officials generally want to assist EMS—help them understand how.
• Ride-alongs can be valuable—But they’re not an end unto themselves. Make them part of the visit, but don’t lose the message, Hopewell advised. Moeller described incidents where official observers experienced calls like a major accident and a critical infant whose care was delayed by thin resources. Be prepared to seize such moments. And choose your ride-along crews carefully—avoid negative or toxic providers!
• Organizations should not support candidates—Individuals of course can and will, but if your service is going to endorse or favor one candidate over another, you’d better know they’re going to win.
• Answer questions and plant seeds—Help educate leaders who may know little about what EMS does. Problems, policies, and politics are typically discrete streams but may collide in key focusing events. Said Hopewell, “Assume we don’t know jack.” Help them make better decisions.
• Understand drivers and motivators—As with any group, these can differ among government types. Moeller described being unable to get his 4-year-old grandson out of the house unless he makes it a race. As well, be nice to the “gatekeepers,” or you’re cooked before you start.
• Alignment helps—Can fire or law enforcement or other leaders join your requests? That bolsters their weight. Connections to neighborhoods and communities is also an amplifier—think things like CPR and AED efforts. “Let me celebrate you,” Hopewell said, with things like photo ops and associations with positive events. “It’s key to have those community connections.”
• Know your case and communicate it right—Keep your narrative focused. Know what the published literature on the subject says—someone will ask. Be prepared to discuss performance metrics, payer mixes, reimbursement levels, etc. But keep things simple and succinct (the “elevator pitch”) and avoid professional jargon.
• Staff is key—Support staff may be officials’ leads on certain issues. Know who’s handling what and where to direct your persuasions. Court executive branches too, not just legislators. You may get just a few seconds with your target, but staffers can get your message where it needs to go.
• Help them shine—If you’re seeking grant opportunities, for instance, call and ask for assistance. Helping you land a big grant will make them look good. Watch for opportunities to do that.

You won’t win every one of your political battles, but it’s worth the effort to improve your chances. And know that, as these people stepped up to serve their communities, you can too—if you don’t like how things are being done, volunteer yourself to do them better. As the saying goes, “To make the change, be the change.”