Quincy seeks ambulance service

QUINCY - Quincy is hoping an ambulance company will commit to serving the city.

Protection One and American Medical Response (AMR) applied for trauma certification with the state Department of Health. The two agencies are competing to become the trauma-verified ambulance service in the area after Quincy Valley Medical Center decided to end its ambulance service.

The city and Grant County Fire District 3 contributed about $208,000 to the service per year, before the hospital decided in January to end the service by July.

Mayor Jim Hemberry said he spoke with a representative from the Department of Health about what would happen if a service was selected and the city and fire district hadn't reached an agreement with them.

"Pretty much it's too bad, so sad," he said. "That is the way it would be and that is the unfortunate thing if we can't reach an agreement, the level of service we would have in the city of Quincy would be minimal."

In an attempt to reach an agreement with the ambulance services, the city sent letters to both companies asking them to provide advanced and basic life support services, according to the letter. The services would be staffed all the time, and the advanced life support ambulance would be stationed in the city and the back-up unit would be within 10 minutes of the city.

The letter states the city and fire district are willing to contribute roughly $210,000 to the service.

The letter also requests the companies negotiate a "service agreement for the provision of ambulance services within the service area at the level of service"

"What this letter of intent says is for the subsidies that the city and the fire district have committed to pay to get an increased level of service, this is the level of service they are going to provide," Hemberry said.

Councilmember Scott Lybbert asked if the letter allows city officials to choose which company receives the certification.

"If they don't sign this letter of intent, then we're going to call the Department of Health and say, 'All things being equal, we would like you to certify the one we got a letter of intent back from,'" Hemberry answered.

He added both companies proposed providing the services listed in the letter, so it shouldn't be a problem for them to sign the letters.