The General Assembly finds that an increasingly larger number of elderly persons, in proportion to other age groups, reside in the rural areas of the State in comparison to the urban areas. The General Assembly further finds that changing economic conditions in rural areas and in designated shortage areas have affected the delivery of health care and that State and federal health care reimbursement systems and other cost containment efforts have also had an adverse impact upon the State health care delivery system. It is the intent of the General Assembly, in response to this deficiency of appropriate health care, to establish a regional ambulance system to improve the delivery of health care services in rural areas and designated shortage areas of the State.