Privatizing EMS
someone writes
How many people in this county realize that the county is trying to privatize EMS which will cost you more money in the long run. Paying for standbys at football games, subsidizing each month to guarantee them a profit, ect… what u think
I think that it should come out of ticket sales and concessions. That way those that use the service are paying for it. There should be no guarantees or subsidy for the privatization: When I went into business no one guaranteed me a profit. Nobody guaranteed you one either. Root hog or die is what I would tell any company that wanted it. A big budget problem is the overtime right now. Looking over the numbers, the hiring of part time workers without benefits (several EMTs moonlight after a benefits job) could cut that overtime out at a substantial savings to the county. Renegotiate contracts that have vehicles. With this economy, someone will take those jobs without a vehicle. I have to drive to work and gas up a car. The private citizen should not be the only employee making do more with less.
Comment by Native Son — December 12, 2011 @ 12:55 amI agree with ya. My problem is that ems may not make up all their budget each year, costing the county around 400,000. But the paid county fire department which we are the only one in the area, cost the county over a million plus a year and make no money. Plus they have five paid fighters a shift and only run 800 calls a year, now justify that.
Now seems to me that if the county wants to cut something to make money then cut the department that makes no money and cost the county the most to operate. Volunteers and inmates are utilized everywhere around us to fight fires, why can’t we do it. Instead this county wants to cut a service which in long around is going to cost the county more. Make no sense.
Comment by someone — December 13, 2011 @ 3:03 pmIt makes no sense to make sell out on EMS. No company is going to provide the service without money from the county. EMS can’t make money in south GA too many people ride the system. The issue with EMS is leadership. I know of services that have started doing things and training there people in how to make money, there revenues have greatly increased. These are local counties. Part time employees are not gonna work on holidays, and wont work every weekend. Decatur County is under staffed, the station is not in good condition, and the EMS only has one station for one of the largest counties in Georgia. Given the right leadership that could be a thriving service. As long as the same ole people are running things the money wont be made.
On average an EMS should cost the county 200,000 a year and if it costs the county more than that something is wrong. You can pay a company 400,000 a year, or the county can keep it for, with the right leadership 200,000 a year??? Whats your choice??? The over time you speak of is built in to the employees salaries. paramedics make 10 an hour that translates to about 35,000 a year, a paramedic will not work for less a year than that (and if a paramedic wont work in your county they go to other counties, which means PEOPLE DIE, YOU COULD DIE) so they can work a 24 hour shift every third day for 35,000 and you can run 18 employees or a paramedic can work only 40 hours a week for 35,000 and there can be 40 employees a year.
Someone do the math on that…..The county saves a lot of money by paying the over time. Look at the big picture. If you hire a company to provide the service then your going to have money driving decisions like using 911 trucks to transport people to dialysis, or nursing homes meaning when you hit a tree you will have to wait until that truck unloads there patient to get help. Ok so lets say the county tries a company and sees that its not working the county will have to start from scratch its not like the county can say we want it back.
In conclusion IT IS CRAZY to contract a basic service like EMS. With the right leadership that service could be one of the top in south georgia but until then it will go to a company, and mark my words when your heart stops you, when your bleeding, when you are about to die your not going to have the best possible chance of survival. Our Commissioners Need To Look At What Other Counties Are Doing To Cut Cost, And Make Money
Comment by JUST THINK — December 14, 2011 @ 12:51 amJUST THINK. It sounds like you just think, with the right leadership, we will all live forever and no one will ever DIE. Me, everyone I know, my kids, and even you, will all DIE one day with or without an EMS. My grandparents and great uncles and aunts are all DEAD, some cousins younger and older than I am are DEAD. Friends I went to school with, some are DEAD. DEATH is part of life. EMS should be a pay as you go service. Use it, you pay. Can´t pay? Call a friend, a taxi, crawl, or quietly expire.
When I was four, I remember when an older relative had DIED. I didn’t really understand and my dad tried to explain it. He did a lot of bird hunting back when we still had wild coveys around here. It dawned on me that the relative was DEAD was like the birds daddy shot. My daddy could do anything back then. He said everyone would die, and I asked him if he was going to die, he said yes, and I was scared. Terrified.
I am not four years old any more. Daddy was right. The death bogey man does not scare me enough to want to subsidize an EMS as a taxpayer to prevent people from DYING who are all going to DIE one day anyway.
Comment by Native Son — December 15, 2011 @ 1:13 amWhen your family are in a traumatic event do you want someone there to help?? You as a tax payer will pay for this service. EMT’s and Paramedic’s are hero’s. These men and women work long shifts, holidays, and weekends to save you and your family when they crash there car, have a heart attack, or choke on a hot dog. If it were not for EMS do you know how many children would have died?? From your view all of the hospitals should be closed, why help anybody if the end result will be the same?? EMS saves lives of people from the ages of 1-100. The bottom line is your going to pay for it so you can pay 400,000 or 200,000 pick your poison.
Comment by JUST THINK — December 17, 2011 @ 7:27 amNative Son, what you fail to realize is that a private EMS company will put profit over human life. What we have now is a service, a life saving emergency service. As a taxpayer, I will gladly give a portion of my paycheck to insure that an ambulance with EMTs or Paramedics shows up every time someone is in need of life saving medical attention.
So what happens when two of the three ambulances in the county are gone on money making trips out of town and there is a bad fire at a business, or a bad wreck with multiple victims and only one ambulance for all of them? What if everyone could be saved but there aren’t enough Medics to go around? There aren’t any first responders because a private company doesn’t allow them. What happens then? I guess it doesn’t matter since “they were all going to die anyway” ? Don’t get me wrong I’m not a bleeding heart liberal that thinks society should provide everything for everyone but I’m not so consumed by greed as to put human life last.
Comment by no joke — December 25, 2011 @ 1:58 amWe simply have difference of opinion. I believe all healthcare to be a commodity. I have seen first hand socialized medicine and want no part of it in any shape or fashion. I am certainly sick of reading how some abuse the system and use or EMS as a taxi service.
When someone rides and refuses to pay, the Director of EMS should ride over to the magistrate and get a Fi Fa and enter the person’s house with the sheriff and seize all the personal property to include clothes, electronics, cell phones, TVs, clothes, vehicles, whatnots and nicknacks and they should be sold to the highest bidder on the courthouse steps until the bill is satisfied. If they own real property, it should be condemned to satisfy the bill.
no joke, a contract with a private EMS could exclude non emergency transfers and the receiving facility can make arrangements for transportation.
I really like the program I recently read about in TN where there is a $75 fee for fire protection and firefighters watched a mobile home burn(twice) because the occupant did not pay the fee.
Perhaps we need the same funding for EMS. Pay a fee or bleed out.
Comment by Native Son — December 27, 2011 @ 10:22 amEMS has been asking for several years to start charging the people who abuse EMS, don’t you think they get tired of it themselves? They are the ones who have to go out day after day, night after night, to the same people who they know should be charged.
But there again it falls back to leadership, they have no one speaking for EMS. There are county commissioners that have no idea what they do or how EMS can be run.
Commissioners have been given ideas of what could help with earning and saving money due to back injuries or people abusing the system and no one listens and now the county residence will suffer if EMS gets privatized. They will suffer from responding service to community service (stand-by on sport activities). Again for many years they have given answers to help bring in money but the county commissioners and two people who all of a sudden act like county administrators will not listen.
Maybe they will listen when the private company doesn’t work out and county has to pay double or triple for their mistake, oh I am sorry that will be the tax payers paying for their mistake. Your problem Native Son is with the government, they are breeding lazy people and no one more than health care people see this every day. EMS could bring in money if they had a good leader, the knowledge of EMS and actually listen to their county employees!!
Comment by hummmm — January 7, 2012 @ 10:02 pmIt’s time to give an unappreciated service its due. The EMS service in Decatur county is one of the best in the state/anywhere. The dedication these people show is unrivaled. Spending 24 or 48 hours away from their families to protect yours takes a lot of compassion for their job. Decatur County EMS runs all advanced lifesupport units. These men and women train for two years just to start their job. And there is continuing education to keep up with the latest trends in emergency medicine. It really is an insult to these trained men and women to be called an “Ambulance Driver”. In some people’s minds this can be changed to “Taxi Driver”. Using an Emergency Unit to go to the ER for something minor is pathetic. What would you think if your loved one was having a heart attack or was involved in an automobile accident and needed that Emergency Unit right away, but it was not available because it was tied up driving you to the ER because you have a minor incident or just don’t feel good for the past three days? Think about it people. You have a GREAT service here. The thought of privatizing(selling out these dedicated professionals) shouldn’t even be in anyone’s head. Why mess with a good thing?
Comment by MC — May 25, 2012 @ 10:03 pm