Pickens Co could soon lose all ambulance services

2 months ago 2

ERIN LLEWELLYN, WVTM 13. PICKENS COUNTY RESIDENTS MAY SOON LOSE AMBULANCE SERVICE MONEY TO HELP SUBSIDIZE THE SERVICE FROM THE COUNTY, AND SOME CITIES RAN OUT LAST MONTH AND NOW ITS FUTURE IS UP IN THE AIR. WE HAVE OUR WVTM13’S LISA CRANE LIVE AND LOCAL IN CARROLLTON TONIGHT. LISA, WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE’S AN EMERGENCY IN PICKENS COUNTY? WELL, THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE ONLY AMBULANCE STAFFED AND READY TO GO. IF SOMEONE HAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR A HEART ATTACK IN ALL OF PICKENS COUNTY. NOW THERE ARE TWO PART TIME AND THREE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES TO STAFF IT AS WELL. BUT THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDES THE PARAMEDIC SERVICE HERE SAYS THAT THEY DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS ONE UNIT AVAILABLE HERE. ON AVERAGE, THIS AMBULANCE MAKES FOUR CALLS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD IN PICKENS COUNTY. BUT TO PAY THE STAFF THAT MUST BE ON STANDBY 24 OVER SEVEN 365 AND THE OVERHEAD THEY NEED TO MAKE AS MANY AS SEVEN RUNS IN THAT PERIOD. IT’S A LOSING GAME FOR THE PRIVATE PARAMEDIC COMPANY. WE’RE LOSING ABOUT $15,000 A MONTH. AND AND I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG YOU CAN DO THAT. SUPPORT THE OVERHEAD COST OF THE SERVICE RIGHT NOW. CALLOWAY SAYS THE COMPANY IS EATING THAT COST, BUT THAT CAN’T GO ON MUCH LONGER UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES. THEY MAY HAVE TO PULL THE LAST AMBULANCE AND CREWS OUT OF THE COUNTY. THAT’S GOING TO BE DEVASTATING TO THE TO THE COMMUNITY. BUT WE ARE STRUGGLING. THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, THE MAYORS ALL HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER. WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THIS STRAIGHTENED OUT. SINCE THE SPRING, THE COUNTY AND SOME OF THE MUNICIPALITIES HAD BEEN SUBSIDIZING SOME OF THAT COST. NOW, THE CITY OF CARROLLTON CONTRIBUTED $1,400 A MONTH. THAT MONEY WAS IN THE BUDGET THAT EXPIRED IN OCTOBER. NOW, COUNTY AND CITY LEADERS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A MORE PERMANENT ANSWER. A NEW TAX SEEMS TO BE THE LOGICAL SOLUTION. I’VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH REPRESENTATIVE RON BOLTON, AND I THINK HE’S BEEN SPEAKING TO SENATOR GERALD ALLEN TO WHERE WE WOULD WE JUST AUTHORIZED THEM TO PROPOSE IN THE LEGISLATURE WHERE THEY COULD DO A $15 TAX TAG TAX THAT WOULD GO TOWARD THE AMBULANCE SERVICE. YOW TRANSPORT. SO IT PAY THE BILLS FOR AMBULANCE SERVICES AND NOT EVERY CALL ACTUALLY RESULTS IN A TRANSPORT. A TRANSPORT IS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY TAKE A PATIENT TO THE HOSPITAL, OR FROM ONE HOSPITAL TO THE OTHER, AND WHAT REALLY IMPACTED THOSE TRANSPORT CALLS WAS THE CLOSING OF THE ONLY HOSPITAL IN PICKENS COUNTY BACK IN 2020. LOCAL LEADERS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO REOPEN PICKENS COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER, OR AT LEAST JUST THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. THEY SAY THAT COULD SAVE THE AMBULANCE SERVICE HERE IN THIS COUNTY. AND ALSO BENEFIT THE RESIDENTS HERE WHO NOW HAVE TO GO TO EITHER COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI OR TUSCALOOSA FOR THAT CA

Pickens County residents may soon lose ambulance service. Money to help subsidize the service from the county and some cities ran out last month and now it's future is up in the air. Right now, there’s only one ambulance on stand by and ready to go if someone has a car wreck or a heart attack in all of Pickens County along with 2 part-time and three full-time employees to staff it. But the company that provides the paramedic services said they don't know how much longer they'll be able to keep the unit available.On average this ambulance makes 4 calls in a 24-hour period in Pickens County. But to pay the staff that must be on standby 24/7/365 and overhead, they need to make as many as 7 runs in that period. It's a losing game for the private paramedic company. Edgar Calloway with NorthStar Paramedic Services said, “We're losing about $15,000 a month. And, I don't know how long you can do that to support the overhead cost of the service.”Right now, Calloway said the company is eating that cost, but that can't go on much longer. Unless something changes, they may have to pull the last ambulance and crews out of the county. Carrollton Mayor Mickey Walker said, “That's going to be devastating to the community. But we are struggling now. The county commissioner, the mayor's all been in contact with each other. We're doing everything we can to get this straightened out.”Since the spring, the county and some of the municipalities had been subsidizing some of the cost. The city of Carrollton contributed $1400 a month. That money was in the budget that expired in October. Now county and city leaders are trying to figure out a more permanent answer. A new tax seems to be the logical solution. Mayor Walker said, “I've been in contact with Representative Ron Bolton, and I think he'd been speaking to Senator Gerald Allen to where we’d just authorize them to propose to the legislature where they could do a $15 tag tax that would go toward ambulance service.”Transports are what pay the bills for ambulance services and not every call results in a transport. A transport is when the ambulance carries a patient to a hospital or from one hospital to another. What really impacted the number of transports was the closing of the only hospital in Pickens County in 2020. Local leaders are trying to reopen Pickens County Medical Center, at least the emergency department. That could save the ambulance service, an also benefit residents who now have to go to either Columbus, MS or Tuscaloosa for that care.

CARROLLTON, Ala. —

On average this ambulance makes 4 calls in a 24-hour period in Pickens County. But to pay the staff that must be on standby 24/7/365 and overhead, they need to make as many as 7 runs in that period. It's a losing game for the private paramedic company. Edgar Calloway with NorthStar Paramedic Services said, “We're losing about $15,000 a month. And, I don't know how long you can do that to support the overhead cost of the service.”

Right now, Calloway said the company is eating that cost, but that can't go on much longer. Unless something changes, they may have to pull the last ambulance and crews out of the county. Carrollton Mayor Mickey Walker said, “That's going to be devastating to the community. But we are struggling now. The county commissioner, the mayor's all been in contact with each other. We're doing everything we can to get this straightened out.”

Since the spring, the county and some of the municipalities had been subsidizing some of the cost. The city of Carrollton contributed $1400 a month. That money was in the budget that expired in October. Now county and city leaders are trying to figure out a more permanent answer. A new tax seems to be the logical solution. Mayor Walker said, “I've been in contact with Representative Ron Bolton, and I think he'd been speaking to Senator Gerald Allen to where we’d just authorize them to propose to the legislature where they could do a $15 tag tax that would go toward ambulance service.”

Transports are what pay the bills for ambulance services and not every call results in a transport. A transport is when the ambulance carries a patient to a hospital or from one hospital to another. What really impacted the number of transports was the closing of the only hospital in Pickens County in 2020.
Local leaders are trying to reopen Pickens County Medical Center, at least the emergency department.
That could save the ambulance service, an also benefit residents who now have to go to either Columbus, MS or Tuscaloosa for that care.

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