A Unified Voice: Record-Breaking 2026 EMS On The Hill Day Drives Policy Change

By Steve Kroll, Chair, NAEMT Advocacy Committee

NAEMT’s 2026 EMS On The Hill Day shattered attendance records and forged public policy momentum for a sustainable future within EMS across the country.

More than 350 EMS stakeholders from 46 states converged on Capitol Hill to educate hundreds of lawmakers and build support for an agenda that will strengthen EMS sustainability, improve patient care, increase preparedness, and advance innovation.

Members of NAEMT, the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), and other EMS associations drove a focused, urgent conversation on our major priorities and how care is delivered in the field: Treatment in Place (TIP), Mobile Integrated Healthcare–Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP), accurate workforce counting, and reimbursement for blood products, among other vital policy issues.

NAEMT held an educational briefing prior to meetings with lawmakers that included EMS leaders and Congressional staffers to discuss how to advance the profession through advocacy.

They shared insight into government and private sector accomplishments around the country that are positively impacting EMS and the patients we serve. Attendees discussed the importance of advocacy within EMS, how to advocate at all levels of government, and how to expand advocacy beyond government to private sector insurers.

Additionally, we were honored to recognize and celebrate the incredible work of three NAEMT members with the EMS Advocate of the Year Award. Recipients Tom Arkins, Sabrina Ballew, and Austin Mandeville were recognized for their grassroots advocacy efforts advancing EMS in their communities, states, and at the federal level. We thank and appreciate them for what they do for EMS nationwide.

NAEMT also had the opportunity to salute our Legislators of the Year, Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Rep. John Mannion (D-NY) for their leadership in introducing NAEMT priority legislation on MIH and workforce (EMS Counts). We concluded the meeting with AIMHI honoring Rep. Michael Carey (R-OH) with their 2026 Advocacy in Integrated Healthcare Award for introducing the CARE Act — our legislation on Medicare TIP.

EMS On The Hill is an engine of policy change, powered by resolute EMS leaders and professionals who refuse to be sidelined.

EMS must be at the table. Our unified voice is decisive, and together we will secure the resources, recognition, and reimbursement our patients and providers deserve. Attendees returned home equipped with the knowledge and determination to advocate for the future of EMS in their communities and across the nation.

NAEMT members can find the 2026 Congressional Requests from EMS On The Hill Day at https://www.naemt.org/events/ems-on-the-hill-day.