Jamestown – The Stutsman County Human Rights Coalition will host a presentation on rural emergency medical services (EMS) on Thursday, November 16 at 7:00pm at The Jamestown Arts Center. The two guest speakers will be Andrew Berkey, Director of Jamestown Area Ambulance Service, and Jerry Bergquist, former Stutsman County Emergency Manager/9-1-1 Coordinator. Berkey will highlight the hard work and human infrastructure that underscore the life-saving care provided by EMS staff, as well as current challenges facing these providers. Bergquist will share the history of 9-1-1 dispatch services, including its origins in the 1980s and recent technological updates.

Stutsman County Human Rights Coalition is committed to education around human rights, including equitable provision of healthcare and emergency medical services. Board member, Olivia Schloegel reflects, “I am impressed with the people and coordination that went into creating and updating our 9-1-1 dispatch services. I think there are a lot of things younger folks such as myself take for granted, and we need to learn about the genesis of these services to know how to protect and improve them into the future.” To learn more about the local Human Rights Coalition, visit https://www.stutsmancountyhumanrightscoalition.org/.