Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS) is owned and operated by the County of Johnson, Iowa. Since its establishment in 1966, the service has been the exclusive provider of emergency ambulance response, pre-hospital emergency care and transportation in Johnson County. Initially operated by the Johnson County Sheriff, the service became its own separate county department in 1970. In 1976, the service began providing advanced pre-hospital care through a joint venture with Mercy Hospital and the University Hospitals in Iowa City. The service became a paramedic level ambulance service in 1981.

With a fleet of thirteen ambulances and two response vehicle, Johnson County Ambulance provides service to over 159,000 county residents and visitors, covering a response area close to 624 square miles.  Four ambulances are staffed 24 hours/7 days a week  and six ambulances are staffed 16 hours a day/ 7 days a week responding out of stations located in Iowa City and Coralville. Additional staffing is scheduled during peak hours to meet the demand for service. In FY23, JCAS responded to 14,673 calls for service.

In addition to providing emergency ambulance, for over 20 years, the service has worked with the University of Iowa Athletic Department providing event coverage at football, basketball, wrestling and other University events.

Further service is provided to patients and their families by the business office. Our Ambulance Coders are able to process claims for Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield as well as assisting in filing other commercial insurance claims. Staff is available to answer billing questions and assist patients and their families in settling their insurance claims.

Along with JCAS, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system in Johnson County is comprised of a combination of volunteer and paid professional first responder agencies located throughout the county, the Joint Emergency Communications Center, the University of Iowa, Mercy Hospital and Veteran’s Affairs emergency departments. This provides for a tiered response to calls for service. The service is an active supporter of these agencies, providing a liaison to assist with training and other logistical issues.
The service also provides support by responding to and standing by at fire, hazardous materials and high-risk law enforcement scenes.

The service is active in providing public education regarding EMS. The service, in conjunction with the Johnson County EMS Association and Johnson County Safe Kids, participates in an annual EMS Awareness Fair. Service staff also meets with a variety of groups and organizations throughout the year providing information about the EMS system, CPR education, Stop the Bleed training and safety/injury prevention.

Johnson County Ambulance Service will be faced with a number of challenges. A growing population will create an increase in calls for service, expanding medical treatments and technologies will broaden our scope of practice, the changing labor market will increase our competition for quality employees, increase in costs and complexity of reimbursements will affect our finances and, the added pressure of disaster preparedness and homeland security will intensify the need to expand readiness capability and training for our staff.

This strategic plan is a tool to be used in planning for the direction of the service in order to provide the highest quality of pre hospital emergency medical services to residents of and visitors to Johnson County. It is not a finished project but a starting point. It will be continuously reviewed and revised in order to best meet the mission of the Johnson County Ambulance Service.

Our Mission:  Johnson County Ambulance Service is dedicated to serving our residents and visitors by providing efficient and effective emergency medical care and transportation. We will provide our services in a professional manner while maintaining the dignity of those we serve. We continually strive to learn, improve and grow in enhancing the quality of the care we deliver.

Our Vision:  Johnson County Ambulance Service will accomplish its mission by striving for clinical excellence, response time reliability, economic efficiency and customer satisfaction while providing a safe and respectful work place.