An article posted at East Chicago Community.com states that:
A contract approved late Friday will transfer responsibility for city emergency medical services to a private vendor in just two weeks.
The Board of Public Works accepted a proposal from Prompt Ambulance Services of Highland to take over Fire Department EMS duties as of midnight May 4.
Mayor Anthony Copeland first broached the idea of privatizing ambulance services in February to reduce by $1.2 million this year’s projected city budget deficit of $3.7 million.
Proposals from Prompt and two other medical transportation firms were opened last month, and a committee has spent the past two weeks evaluating them, said Valeriano Gomez, Copeland’s chief of staff and president of the works board.
Though the works board approved a five-year contract with Prompt, the relationship is set for a one-year review by the safety board, and can be terminated by the city at any time, Morgan said.
Prompt also agreed to hire all 14 of the city’s emergency medical technicians and paramedics at comparable salaries, and with longevity pay based on their years on the job.
One medic who likely won’t be joining Prompt is Robert Parks Jr., president of the East Chicago Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana Local 4351.
“We haven’t heard anything from Prompt,” Parks said Friday. “We know they won’t be able to handle it, and they know they won’t be able to handle it, so it’s just a matter of time until we get called back.”
East Chicago’s two ambulances responded to 5,211 calls in 2011, and fees totaling $699,991 were collected from Medicare, Medicaid, insurance companies and transported individuals — roughly half the money actually billed for the services, because city ordinance prohibits collection efforts against those who refuse to pay.
The complete article can be found HERE.
thanks Dennis
