Commission, EMS share information on ambulance service
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By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
With the election coming up Tuesday and including a local referendum on the ballots relating to the Coosa County Ambulance service, the County Commission and Coosa EMS have been busy helping get information out to the public.
EMS Director Hollie Osbourn, EMS crew members, commissioners, and others have held and participated in informative sessions in various communities throughout the county, including Goodwater, Rockford, Kellyton, and most recently Cottage Grove.
Osbourn and commissioners spoke with residents and presented information at each session, heard comments from constituents and took questions.
Osbourn explained that when discussions about the countywide ambulance service began, the projected cost to operate the service was between $350,000 and $375,000 each year. After much discussion and consideration over the course of several meetings, the commission voted to include a $15 tag fee on the ballot to allow Coosa County voters the opportunity to vote on the matter.
Osbourn reviewed the information and explained that with an average of 16,500 tags sold in the county annually, the revenue generated from the fee would be approximately $248,000 each year. That would leave approximately $100,000 needed to cover the service, which she said will be generated through supplemented money such as medical insurance, vehicle insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, and private pay.
At the town hall meetings where Osbourn presented information, she explained to attendees that the Coosa County Ambulance is a full-time, paramedic-staffed, 24/7/365 ambulance service. The Coosa EMS runs four full-time crews, so when someone calls 911 they have a crew shift to respond.
She explained that the exceptions to this would be if their unit is on another call or if the ambulance is undergoing maintenance.
In reviewing additional information about the ambulance service, the county’s geography and how the service initially began, Osbourn also stated that Rockford was selected as the center hub for the ambulance’s physical location because of its ease of access to the main thoroughfares of highways 231, 22, 280, and 9.
“But let me be clear, we are not Rockford EMS,” Osbourn said. “We are Coosa County Ambulance, and we service the entire county – from the Talladega County line to Tallapoosa County line, from the Elmore County line to Chilton County line.”
She added that they also border with Clay County on the eastern side. Service areas for Coosa County Ambulance include Rockford, Stewartville, Weogufka, Marble Valley, Equality, Ray, Hanover, Richville, Goodwater, and Kellyton.
“As you all know, Goodwater VFD and Kellyton VFD have their own ambulances for their respective communities, and they do back each other up,” Osbourn said. “However, as a county-wide ambulance service, we are available to assist both of these services if and when we are needed. They have been able to assist us when we have needed help.”
Osbourn also explained that Sylacauga Ambulance Service has and will continue to offer assistance in Coosa County as needed, especially on the northern end of the county in the Stewartville, Weogufka and Marble Valley areas. However, she said that Sylacauga Ambulance has taken on the northern end of Talladega County in the past few months and that as such it has pulled back some of its coverage area in Coosa.
In reviewing the history of the county ambulance and how the tag fee came to be considered, Osbourn mentioned that Gov. Kay Ivey initially signed into legislation the approval for an ambulance for Coosa County. Ivey also released funds for the county to purchase and stock the ambulance and to essentially get it started.
However, there were stipulations that the ambulance must be owned and operated by Coosa County and that the County Commission must secure a way to fund the ambulance, with it being like a pilot program in Coosa to see if it might be feasible for other rural counties to do something similar.
In considering how to secure funding to keep the ambulance operational, the decision was made to implement a tag fee, but beyond that, leaving the matter in the hands of the voters to decide when they go to the polls.
Ivey’s stipulations included that the money generated could only be used by the county owned and operated ambulance service and nothing else. With it being legislation, that must be followed.
“The tag fee for Coosa County Ambulance is a vital component to keep the ambulance in service,” Osbourn said. “Without a majority ‘yes’ vote on March 5, this very valuable asset to Coosa County will not be possible to maintain. Please consider what a 24/7, fully staffed ambulance service could mean for you or your family in your time of need.”
The $15 fee per tag would include cars, trucks, motorcycles, utility trailers, and campers. Osbourn also provided a breakdown of costs based on the numbers of tags people might not to purchase each year, ranging from it breaking down to 41 cents per day for someone who buys 10 tags to just 4 cents per day for someone who buys only one tag.
With the $15 tag fee being paid once per year, she also provided an annual comparison of other products.
She mentioned that a 20-ounce Coca Cola on average costs $2.28 per bottle, with one bottle per day amounting to $832.20 spent per year for sodas.
Further, she said that a pack of cigarettes has an average cost of $7.53 per pack, including a 68-cents per pack tax. At one pack per day, the cost would be $2,748.45 per year for cigarettes.
In answering questions about why the County Commission has not been helping the volunteer ambulance services in the county, it was explained that the commission has been and that it has given grant funds, appropriations and “supported both of the volunteer services tremendously.”
Additionally, whenever either volunteer service goes outside of its coverage to assist Coosa County Ambulance, it can bill insurance for that transport, as well.
Another common question was what will happen of the tag fee does not pass. Osbourn stated that Coosa County Ambulance simply cannot operate without it.
“The county cannot support the cost of operating a 24/7 fully staffed ambulance service,” she said.
Those with questions regarding the ambulance service or who would like more information before Tuesday’s vote are encouraged to contact Osbourn at 256-510-4288, or their respective county commissioner or Judge of Probate Richard Dean at the phone numbers provided on the ad in this week’s edition.
