About the Communications Dispatch Center

CoxHealth ambulances, Cox Air Care medical helicopters and CoxHealth float ambulances are dispatched through a centralized communications center located in Springfield, Missouri, for all six counties covered by CoxHealth EMS. The dispatch center links with county 911 emergency centers to receive emergency service requests, then dispatch the closest appropriate unit.

Due to a high call volume, Green County provides emergency services through a tiered response model that uses both basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) staffed ambulances. This model uses the information provided by the caller to organize and dispatch the appropriate EMS resources. The remaining counties use the uniform response model. This model is ALS-staffed, which allows for a paramedic to be available on all dispatched responses.

CoxHealth’s dispatch center uses a computer-aided dispatch system (CAD) and GPS tracking systems to organize responses. The dispatch center also monitors the landing pads and facilitates air traffic for Cox Medical Center South, Cox Medical Center Branson and Cox Monett Hospital. The dispatch center's staff are trained and certified by Emergency Medical Dispatch to provide not only timely emergency service responses, but pre-arrival instructions to patients or bystanders, as well.