Athens-Clarke County commissioners will consider a plan early next month that will provide more oversight over ambulance and emergency medical services in the county.
Some in the community have criticized the state of ambulance service in Athens-Clarke County, pointing to what they say are slow response times and lax oversight. Revisions to the agreement governing ambulance service could address those concerns by requiring a change to the oversight requirements and a greater attention to what commissioners call “key performance metrics.”
Ambulance service in Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties is performed by a private company, National EMS. That company is contracted by the two major hospitals, Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Health Care System. The hospitals pay the bulk of the costs, while Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties each provide $100,000 in funding.
ACC Fire and Emergency Services also respond to medical emergencies. Officials say that more than 50% of their calls are medically-related. Firefighters are trained to provide emergency medical intervention, although they do not transport patients.
Currently, EMS oversight is in the hands of a committee consisting of representatives from the two major hospitals along with elected officials from the Athens-Clarke and Oconee County governments.
ACC Commissioner Jesse Houle, who is appointed to that oversight committee, told their colleagues at a meeting on Wednesday that the committee hasn’t met in years.
I’ve been appointed to [the EMS oversight committee] my entire tenure on this commission, and we’ve never met.Jesse Houle, ACC District 6 Commissioner
“I’m very encouraged that we’re replacing the oversight committee model, which clearly hasn’t functioned," they said. "I’ve been appointed to that my entire tenure on this commission, and we’ve never met.”
Under the terms of the proposed new agreement, National EMS and ACC Fire and Emergency Services would provide quarterly reports to commissioners and meet with them twice a year. Those semi-annual meetings would provide elected officials with an opportunity to directly question the EMS providers about their performance.
In those reports, commissioners would see an array of data, including statistics on the average number of ambulances in service, average response times, and how many times no truck was available when a call came in. Officials with ACC Fire and Emergency Services would also have to weigh in with similar data.
Commissioner Carol Myers suggested that the metrics might need tweaking before the June 5 vote, however.
“I’m going to be reviewing that and perhaps putting together a commission-defined option that would add a criteria or two," she said.
But while they were supportive of the changes, Houle questioned what happens if emergency responders fail to provide that data.
“It’s a step in the right direction to have clearer requirements in writing, but if those requirements aren’t met, I’d like to understand and ideally have in writing what the results of that would be," Houle said. "Otherwise it might end up being good words on paper without the result we’re looking for.”
If EMS stakeholders failed to provide the required reports, that could have financial repercussions.
“Ultimately, Piedmont Athens would no longer be eligible for the $100,000 subsidy," Assistant County Manager Niki Jones told Houle.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the revised agreement on June 5.
