Sara Brown, MD

Sara Brown, MD, chair of the ISMA Board of Trustees, has been reappointed by Gov. Mike Braun to the Indiana Emergency Medical Services Commission, continuing more than a decade of service on the commission.

The reappointment comes as Indiana implements a significant change in emergency medical care that grew out of an ISMA resolution: ending routine hospital-initiated EMS diversion because of overcrowding.

Indiana hospitals and emergency medical providers have agreed with the Indiana Department of Health to limit the practice of diverting ambulances solely because an emergency department is overcrowded. Beginning in September, diversion will be limited to extreme circumstances such as natural disasters or critical infrastructure failures.

The change follows action initiated by ISMA members in 2025.

ISMA Resolution 25-04, authored by Jonathan Schmitz, MD, called for clear, enforceable statewide guidelines limiting hospital-initiated EMS diversion to narrowly defined circumstances, including disasters, critical equipment failures or specialty care needs. The resolution also called for greater transparency and monitoring of diversion and recognized that a hospital's diversion notification is a request that an EMS crew may decline.

The resolution was introduced to the Indiana EMS Commission in July 2025. In November, after additional work with EMS stakeholders, the commission unanimously voted to adopt the ISMA resolution on hospital-initiated diversion. Dr. Brown supported the measure while disclosing her role as ISMA Board Chair.

For Dr. Brown, the work is closely connected to a career devoted to emergency medical services.

“My passion throughout my career has been EMS, and it is truly the reason I became a physician,” Dr. Brown said. “I was first certified as an emergency medical technician in 1990, and the experiences I had caring for patients in their greatest moments of need changed the course of my life and shaped my future in medicine.”

Dr. Brown was first appointed to the 14-member Indiana EMS Commission in 2015 and has served continuously since then. She has been subspecialty board certified in emergency medical services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine since 2015 and was recognized as a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services by the National Association of EMS Physicians in 2020.

The commission is responsible for establishing and maintaining Indiana's statewide EMS system, including developing administrative rules, promoting training and regulating and certifying EMS services, facilities and personnel.

“The EMS community is unlike any other, and I have been incredibly blessed to be part of that family for more than three decades,” Brown said. “The dedicated professionals who serve Hoosiers through EMS make extraordinary personal and professional sacrifices every day to protect the health and safety of our communities. Whether responding to an individual emergency or leading efforts during a disaster, they consistently demonstrate exceptional skill, courage and compassion. I am humbled to be part of this team.”

ISMA Executive Vice President Clif Knight, MD, said Brown's reappointment recognizes the kind of physician leadership that can translate advocacy into improvements in patient care.

“Dr. Brown exemplifies what it means to be a physician servant leader,” Knight said. “She consistently goes above and beyond to improve health care in her community and across Indiana. Her experience, dedication and passion for EMS make her an invaluable voice on the commission, and ISMA is proud to see her continue this important service to Hoosiers.”

ISMA advocacy helps drive statewide change
The new diversion policy closely reflects the goals ISMA physicians established through Resolution 25-04.

Hospital diversion can increase ambulance transport times, strain EMS resources and disrupt continuity of care by sending patients away from the hospitals and physicians that ordinarily provide their care. State officials cited potential delays in treatment and poorer patient outcomes among the concerns underlying the change.

ISMA's resolution called for collaboration with the Indiana Hospital Association, Indiana Department of Health, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, EMS agencies, hospitals and other stakeholders to develop the statewide approach.

That collaborative process ultimately resulted in the policy taking effect this month.