Capitol exhibit honors emergency medical services workers

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston would like to invite visitors to the State Capitol to view the recently installed fourth floor exhibit, EMS in Arkansas: From Saving Lives to Saving History.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of National EMS Week (observed May 19-25, 2024), honoring our emergency medical services workers. This year’s theme was “Honoring Our Past, Forging Our Future.”
All of the state’s EMS agencies have compelling stories to tell, but there is no comprehensive and inclusive story about EMS in Arkansas. This exhibit is not intended to be a comprehensive story, but a starting point to build that story together.
EMS in Arkansas: From Saving Lives to Saving History is the first in a series of three exhibits and is on display in the fourth floor exhibit space of the Arkansas State Capitol now through June 28th, 2024.

The second phase of the exhibit will be at the UAMS Historical Research Center from July 22nd to December 3rd, 2024, and will highlight the relationship between the state’s largest ambulance service, MEMS, and the state’s public health sciences university.
The third phase of the exhibit will be a digital version, combining images of the two physical exhibits and displayed on the Virtual National EMS Museum website.
The Arkansas Emergency Medical Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit foundation, is leading this project. The exhibit is also supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Research assistance is being provided by the UAMS Historical Research Center. Technical assistance is being provided by the Virtual National EMS Museum.