Copyright 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc. and New England Newspaper Group Inc.
By BOB AUDETTE
Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont)
GUILFORD, Vt. — Rescue Inc. plans to break even next year.
According to Executive Director David Dunn, he expects call volume for his organization to increase to more than 5,000 calls in the next fiscal year starting in June 2006.
“At that level of calls and reimbursement, we should be close to breaking even on an operating basis,” said Dunn.
Rescue Inc. responded to a total of 3,929 calls last year. That’s up from 3,325 calls in 2003/04.
Dunn revealed his prediction to the Guilford Selectboard on Monday night. Dunn is making the rounds, talking to selectboards about the state of his nonprofit organization.
“It was a good year for Rescue,” Dunn said. With the recent acquisition of the ambulance service of Grace Cottage, Rescue Inc. actually ran a $59,000 profit last year, a one-time event, he said.
“Rescue Inc., has become a $2 million-a-year business,” said Dunn.
To help meet rising health care costs, Dunn said Rescue Inc. will increase its rates by $2.50 per resident, from the current $7.50 to $10 next year. Dunn said $10 is still $7 less than the state average.
For towns like Guilford, which contributed almost $11,000 to Rescue Inc. this year, residents can expect that the town will be asked to contribute $20,500 next year.
But Dunn said the $10 fee is only for the nine original member towns. The new towns of Brookline, Jamaica, Townshend and Wardsboro can expect to pay $15.50 per resident.
“The newer towns tend to be extremely rural and entail traveling large distances,” said Dunn, who added that’s not the only reason for the price difference.
“The original nine towns have helped build Rescue’s endowment and share in the gains from the endowment,” he said.
Brookline, Jamaica, Townshend and Wardsboro became Rescue clients after its acquisition of Grace Cottage’s ambulance service. Dunn said he is also in the process of creating proposals for Grafton, Athens, Winhall and Stratton, towns that aren’t currently enrolled in Rescue’s services.
Dunn presented specific statistics related to Guilford’s receipt of services from Rescue Inc.
“We have a committed response to Guilford,” said Dunn. “You call, we go, despite the nature of the service and whether or not the person can pay or has insurance.”
Statistics released by Dunn on Monday night:
*76 Guilford residents were treated last year, with an average response time of 10 minutes and average on-scene treatment time of 28 minutes.
*The majority of calls to Guilford are categorized as “trauma,” at 36, many of them because of the numerous calls Rescue Inc. responded to on Guilford’s section of Interstate 91.
*Rescue Inc. spent an average of 73 minutes on each of its Guilford calls.
*The average call costs $310, though total operating expenses for each call is $425. This averages out to 81 cents collected for every dollar billed. “We make up the difference through donations and grants,” said Dunn.
*Average patient age also increased from 54 to 58.
*Brattleboro had the highest call volume, with 2,325 or 59 percent of its calls. Jamaica had the fewest calls, with 21, or 1 percent.
*In Brattleboro, Rescue’s response time averages just five minutes. Wardsboro had a 21-minute response time, the longest of all member towns.
*Rescue Inc., spent an average of 34 minutes on each call in Brattleboro. The longest total time was for Marlboro, at 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Dunn also told the Guilford Selectboard that Rescue Inc. recently received a $150,000 Holt Fund Grant to be used over three years for training personnel. He said part of the grant will be used to purchase a “series of really high-tech simulators,” or mannekins, to train staff for emergencies and mundane tasks such as blood pressure readings and the opportunity to examine a patient’s breathing and heart sounds.
Dunn said both infant and adult models will be available for training.
The grant is for training that will be focused in the West River Valley to train first responders and EMTs and to teach CPR.
Dunn said Rescue Inc also received a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to be an area resource for mass casualty incidents.
“We are going to be the resource that has the equipment that may be needed in a mass casualty event, such as a bus accident,” said Dunn.