By Ron Clayton
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2006 Chattanooga Publishing Company
ATHENS, Tenn. — With questions about Woods Memorial Hospital’s future, some McMinn County officials are taking steps to ensure they have a degree of control over the county’s ambulance system, which is operated by the hospital.
“Our contract goes through June 30, 2007, with Woods, and we have to file intent to terminate within 120 days,” County Mayor John Gentry said. “But whoever ends up with Woods may have experience in an ambulance service or they may not want it.”
He and others have said the county needs to act now so service would not be interrupted.
Earlier this year county commissioners directed hospital trustees to put the financially troubled facility up for sale.
McMinn County owns the ambulance vehicles and one of the two ambulance stations. Woods furnishes the equipment and supplies. The county has plans to open another station at Riceville in space leased from the Riceville Fire Department.
Woods owns a house where the Etowah units are stationed, but Mr. Gentry wants to look at relocating to a new 911 emergency operations building that will be built near Central High School along U.S. Highway 411.
“That would be an ideal location,” Mr. Gentry said. It would be located midway between Etowah and Englewood and would have quick access to the east side of the county, he said.
E-911 Board Chairman Mike Jones said the state is requiring 911 centers to have an alternate site in case an emergency put the primary center in Athens out of business.
“We purchased 6.5 acres and they are clearing out trees now,” Mr. Jones said. Construction will soon start at the dispatch building, but the 911 board is waiting to hear whether the county wants to lease space for ambulances, Mr. Jones said.
Mr. Gentry said it is imperative that the county have control of the ambulances and the buildings. That way, he said, the service could be leased to another operator if Woods goes out of business.
He said bids on the Riceville location came in above estimates, so the County Commission will look at a modular unit for the site.
He said the County Commission must approve any action, but added that at a recent fire committee meeting, commissioners showed interest in all of the projects.