More Concerns About Lack of Available Ambulance Service Discussed by 911 Committee

Concerns over lack of available ambulance service have been heard periodically by the Effingham County Board's Ambulance Oversight Committee.

Tuesday night, though, the concerns were shared with the County 911 Board's Emergency Service Agencies Committee, and they got an earful.

The meeting began with statements from County 911 System Administrator Tina Daniels and City Telecommunications Supervisor Billie Bales. Daniels and Bales said there have been an increased number of Status Zero cases. Those are situations where Abbott EMS, the ambulance service that contracts with the Effingham County Board, doesn't have an ambulance rig available in the county. Abbott has a mutual aid agreement with Jasper County Ambulance Service to back them up.

What happens, though, when Jasper County is busy in Jasper County? Daniels and Bales said that's the big problem. Bales said there has been an increased number of Zero Status calls, and she wants to know what her telecommunicators are supposed and who are they to call? Daniels said, "If Jasper can't come, we are at a loss, we have to find some other service; we need a clear-cut idea of who to call."

Representatives of Global Medical Response, parent company of Abbott EMS, were on hand and said they weren't aware of the level of problems with Status Zero. That remark was quickly met with statements from a number of people that Status Zero calls were shared and discussed at every meeting of the Ambulance Oversight Committee. A GMR representative stated that, after the first of the year, he will put an additional BLS ambulance on to help with transfer calls, which should free up the other rigs for emergency calls.

Much of the meeting involved representatives of other ambulance services who said they want to work in Effingham County. That included Lakeside EMS, Rural Med and Bond County Ambulance Services of Greenville. When the county board's contract with Abbott began, it was with the understanding that Abbott had exclusivity in the county, but things could be starting to change. Jerrod Estes of Lakeside said they have battled with the County Board regarding ambulance coverage, including a lawsuit, but still want to serve the county.

Another main topic Tuesday was frustration with the contract with Abbott. County Board member John Perry reminded that he opposed the contract at the time it was approved and said Tuesday that the County should exercise its 90-day "out clause" and re-negotiate with Abbott to get additional units staffed here or start looking for another ambulance service. Perry said Abbott is adhering to the agreement, but said the agreement doesn't sufficiently serve the county.

There was also a suggestion that for Abbott to have additional units online here, there would need to be a subsidy. GMR representatives said they have never said anything about a subsidy; Perry said there was talk at the table at a County Board meeting that there would need to be a subsidy.

As to where things go from here, Thies said the matter would be presented at the next meeting of the full 911 Board in January. Others were hopeful that the matter would be on the next agenda of the full County Board, since any change of the agreement with Abbott will depend on the Board. Four members of the County Board were in attendance at Tuesday's meeting.