By Victoria Lusk
The American News
ABERDEEN, S.D. — There’s a new ambulance service in town, but don’t expect to see Midwest Medical vehicles racing to fires, accidents or other emergencies.
The business offers inter-facility transfers for Aberdeen and the surrounding area, said Sean DeLancey, business development director.
“We don’t want to take anything away from the 911 service,” he said.
If anything, Midwest Medical taking responsibility for facility-to-facility transfers that require out-of-town travel allows emergency responders to stay local, he said.
Midwest Medical could respond to a catastrophe, natural disaster or accident were multiple services needed, DeLancey said.
But, “We don’t want to be the primary call for that,” he said.
Scott Meints, Brown County Emergency Management director, said having the service available in the event of a mass casualty incident should be a bonus.
“For that, having more tools in the tool bag is a plus,” he said.
But not everybody thinks the new business is necessary.
Dan Mielke, owner of Aberdeen Ambulance Service, said he understands competition, but he doesn’t think Aberdeen has enough of a market to sustain three ambulance services. Like Midwest Medical, Aberdeen Ambulance is private. The businesses offer many of the same services.
“I’m bias. Don’t get me wrong. I thought Aberdeen was lucky to have the two services they had. We know each other’s niches and work well together,” he said, referring to his business and Aberdeen Fire and Rescue.
In its first two weeks, Midwest Medical had a few transfers, DeLancey said.
“There’s usually a ramp period … where it takes some time to get up and going,” he said.
Aberdeen Ambulance has not seen a drop in business since Midwest Medical opened. Mielke attributes that to having been in business since 1987, which means the company has a well-established rapport with area facilities.
Midwest Medical offers services to the Avera St. Luke’s and Sanford Aberdeen, as well as any other medical facilities in the surrounding area, including nursing homes.
Rob Senger, regional manager for Midwest Medical, said the response from local hospitals and facilities has been positive thus far.
Ninety-nine percent of Midwest Medical’s business will come from a health care facility arranging the transport, he said. Midwest Medical might also assist rural ambulance crews, he said, although its focus will be critical or regular inter-facility calls.
The business will respond to a request from any location, although a 50-to-60-mile radius is the norm.
Midwest Medical now has two ambulances in Aberdeen. Within the next two months, wheelchair vans will be added, and another ambulance will arrive in November, Senger said.
Midwest Medical has approximately 10 employees. The company typically has four full-time staffers per ambulance and a variety of part-time staff, DeLancey said. As it continues to add vehicles, it will continue to hire employees.
Training and education are key components to Midwest Medical and its employees – and the main things Senger sets the bar high on, he said. The goal is for all of the Aberdeen staff to be critical care paramedics, he said. That would ensure that Midwest Medical is capable of meeting all inter-facility transport needs.
Midwest Medical’s education program includes simulation and outreach education. Not only is the training available for its own staff, but Midwest Medical will also offer its education program to others in the area.
In a new venture, Midwest Medical will begin to offer community paramedicine, during which staff will visit former hospital patients in their homes in order to reduce the number of ambulance trips.
“A lot of these patients just need that general guidance to stay out of the ER,” Senger said.
A visit might include accessing vitals and scheduling an appointment at a clinic or primary care physician, if needed. The details of the program are still being worked out, but it will be tailored to meet the specific needs of the community, Senger said.
The last time a second private ambulance company began offering services in Aberdeen was when Brandon-based Med-Star Paramedic Ambulance opened in October 2006. According to American News archives, the company was no longer in Aberdeen by November 2007.
Copyright 2016 the American News