A message to the Community from the Ellett Memorial Hospital CEO:
In our
rural community, we take care of one another. As your local hospital, we are
deeply committed to the safety and well-being of every family we serve. Our
district operates with one ambulance crew per shift, and our EMS team works
around the clock to respond as quickly as possible when a call comes in. When
our crew is already on a scene or transporting a patient, that ambulance is
temporarily out of service. In those moments, one of our neighboring districts
steps in through mutual aid. If you live outside our district as defined by the
Missouri Board of EMS, we cannot come to get you unless it's through mutual
aid, as required by Missouri law.
This can
mean response times may be shorter or longer, depending on where the mutual aid
crew is coming from. We want you to know this isn’t a lack of effort — it’s
simply the reality of rural emergency care, and we are doing everything we can
to minimize delays.
Our EMS
team is trained not only to respond, but to guide you to the right care. If
they determine that your situation requires a specialist or service we do not
have onsite, they will direct you to the nearest hospital that can begin your
treatment faster. Your health and safety always come first.
We are
proud to serve this community. We are your neighbors, your friends, and your
family — and we will always do our very best to be there when you need us.
Our EMS
District Covers Portions of Three Counties. Ellett Memorial Hospital sits in
Appleton City, which is positioned near the intersection of St. Clair, Henry,
and Bates Counties. Rural EMS districts in this region typically cover portions
of all three. St. Clair County is our primary county. Your ambulance district
almost includes: Appleton City city limits, rural areas north, south, east, and
west of town, County roads and farms extending several miles outward and the
immediate Appleton City School and residential areas. Appleton City sits right
on the Henry County line, so our EMS district typically covers residences just
north of Appleton City, rural Henry County roads that are closer to our
hospital than to Clinton and farms and homesteads that rely on Appleton City as
their nearest EMS resource. We also border Bates County to the west. Rural EMS
districts often extend into western rural areas near the Bates–St. Clair line,
homes and farms closer to Appleton City than to Butler and shared mutual aid
zones where dispatch chooses the closest available ambulance.
Rural EMS
districts are drawn based on proximity and response time, not strict county
borders. Appleton City sits at a tri county junction, so your district
naturally includes: the closest homes and farms in three counties, areas where
your ambulance is the fastest responder and mutual aid zones where neighboring
districts backfill when you’re out on a call. This is normal for rural Missouri
EMS and is exactly how dispatch ensures families get the fastest possible help.
If you need to call 911 in case of an emergency, it may be helpful to tell the
dispatcher that you would like them to send Ellett Memorial Hospital Ambulance
staff if that is what you want.
