By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Starting at a different time and location, the Central Joint Ambulance District held its July board meeting at noon Wednesday at the County Engineer’s Office. The board opened bid packets for ambulance service.
Bids from Life Support Team Inc., and LifeStar were opened for review at the meeting. Representatives from each group were present at the time of opening.
Chris Kennedy of Life Support Team explained that his organization has been based out of Galion since April, and is comprised currently of former Mansfield EMS employees. Kennedy explained to the CJAD board that Life Support Team does not have its own emergency air transport, but that they use MedFLight.
When asked about a subscription program, Kennedy said that currently the group has no such program. Life Support Team also had no subsidy fees attached with their bid.
LifeStar’s bid packet had a few exceptions in their offer, among those being a $210,000 per year subsidy for the next three years.
The CJAD asked why LifeStar is requesting a subsidy.
“Reimbursements have been down over the past few years. As a result LifeStar is losing $200,000 per year. Year to date we have lost $145,000,” LifeStar Representative Corey Wright explained. “The subsidy is looking to break even. We don’t want to lose any employees.”
The decision for an ambulance service provider will be announced at the CJAD’s Aug. 20 meeting.
In LifeStar’s June report there were 186 calls with an average of 6.2 calls per day. Of the 186 calls there were 152 transports with 136 going to Bucyrus, 35 going to Shelby, 12 to Galion, and one to Willard.
The CJAD is still waiting to move to the Biddle Road substation. The delay for the move is a result of waiting for the state EMS division to inspect the building.