Baxter Health has issued a request for proposals for the purchase of three new ambulances as part of its effort to expand emergency medical services (EMS) under the Arkansas Rural Health Transformation Program. This marks the second major procurement the health system has initiated this week through the program.
According to Baxter Health, the bid specifies three Type III box-style ambulances, which are built on van chassis. These vehicles are intended to add capacity to the health system's EMS fleet, provide relief to high-mileage units, and improve coverage for Baxter, Marion, and Fulton counties. They will also assist in hospital-to-hospital patient transfers. Funding for the ambulances will come entirely or partially from Rural Health Transformation Program funds.
Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. on December 10 and should be submitted in a single PDF format by email to EMS Coordinator Buddy Bodenhamer at rbbodenhamer@baxterregional.org. Bodenhamer is designated as the sole point of contact for the bid. The delivery deadline for the ambulances is June 30, 2027.
Additional details, including the proposal scope and evaluation criteria, are available on Baxter Health's website at baxterhealth.org/patient-visitors/rural-health-transformation. This is the same page where earlier this week the health system posted another bid for 325 hands-free communication badges to be used by its nursing staff. Baxter Health has stated that it adheres to federal and state procurement rules for projects funded under the Rural Health Transformation Program and will post further bidding opportunities through this portal as they arise.
The Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year initiative with $50 billion in federal funding, was created by a 2025 law that also reduced federal Medicaid spending. In Arkansas, the program is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and administered through the Department of Finance and Administration. The state received $208.8 million for the program’s first year.
Baxter Health’s initial application to the program, submitted in May, was a telehealth and home care initiative called THRIVE at Home. This proposal included investments in emergency medical response and community paramedicine. However, the health system did not specify whether the ambulance procurement is tied to that award or what proportion of the costs will be covered by the program.
Baxter Health operates a network of facilities in north-central Arkansas that includes a 268-bed main hospital in Mountain Home, a smaller critical access hospital with 25 beds, two surgery centers, and numerous clinics across the region.