makes choice for ambulance provider in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A committee on Monday recommended moving forward with Central Emergency Medical Service as Augusta’s next ambulance service provider.
The Emergency Medical Service Zoning Committee is sending its recommendation to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
During its last meeting, the committee ranked Central EMS the highest among the contenders.
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Gold Cross and AmeriMed along with Central EMS made up the top three options.
A provider must be chosen after Gold Cross pulled out after the city refused to provide the level of subsidies it wanted. Gold Cross subsequently went on a month-to-month contract until a more permanent provider could be selected.
The state agency can either accept the committee’s recommendation, ask for another hearing or reject it altogether.
The vote Monday was 15 in favor, 1 against and 10 abstentions.
The choice was between 3 providers AmeriMed, Gold Cross and Central EMS.
In the meeting a couple people from the community spoke out, ing gold cross. Commissioner Bobby Williams argued against using Gold Cross because of response times.
Committee ranked the providers on a point system. Central EMS ended up 13 points higher than AmeriMed and 18 points higher than Gold Cross.
We caught up with the president of Central EMS on how the process played out.
Gary Coker, president of Central EMS, says, “It’s a process that the state goes through very rarely. I’ve been in the ambulance business for decades, and you only see this happen maybe, 5 or 6 times, I guess through the time. So I can say this: the process has been correct. Step by step they’ve done this correctly.”
We’re going to walk through the next steps as the state makes their decision. We’re also looking at how much it could cost the city to work with Central EMS.
The state department of health now has the final say if, Central EMS will be Augusta’s next ambulance service provider.
If accepted, this would end Gold Cross’s 17 years of service in Richmond County.
“...the next two deal with zoning. thank goodness that’s not controversial. We’re going to determine what their needs are, and then we’re going to lay out what it costs for those needs. We’ll be transparent with that,” Coker says.
It’s now entirely in the state’s hands to decide if Central EMS is up to the task.
“I think that what they’ve been paying has not been working. So I think that you’ve got to really look hard at what’s needed to give the citizens the ambulance and the response times that they need. And then you’ve got to apply that to the budget. We’re going to do everything we can to give the citizens the ambulance service that they need, in the timely manner that they need,” Coker says.
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