EMS. Back in 1977, the 20,000 or so people who lived in Emanuel County needed an ambulance about 55 times per month. Today, that same county — slightly larger at just under 23,000 people — needs an ambulance up to 428 times per month.

That surge in call volume illustrates how health care has changed in the past 50 years, especially in Georgia’s rural communities where hospitals consistently list transportation as their No. 1 issue.

It’s also contributed to an alarming increase in response times, which increased from 12.5 minutes in 2022 to 19.4 minutes in 2023, according to Emanuel County EMS Director Courtney Terwilliger.

“EMS … was designed in 1966. It has not been redesigned. Hospitals and health care have been redesigned,” Terwilliger told lawmakers this week during the first meeting of the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas.

The panel is one of a number of special committees studying health care this year, including groups looking at cancer treatment, 911 funding, smoking, medical marijuana and child placement.

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