Emergency medical technician April King waits her partner as they prepare for their shifts at American Medical Response in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Several of the state’s emergency services leaders told Mississippi Today that while paramedic providers have been troubled for years by an incomplete reimbursement system, low wages and staffing shortages, problems have hit a critical point exacerbated by ongoing hurdles from COVID-19. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today