By Billy Hobbs
The Union-Recorder
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. — A new emergency medical service takes over responding to various emergency calls in Milledgeville and Baldwin County beginning Sunday morning.
The new ambulance service is Atrium Health Navicent Emergency Medical Services. It is based out of Macon and affiliated with Atrium Health Navicent, The Medical Center.
Atrium Health Navicent EMS replaces Grady Emergency Medical Services, who had provided emergency medical services for several years in Milledgeville and Baldwin County.
Grady EMS officials decided not to renew its lease agreement with the county as well as several other counties where they had contracts. Officials with the ambulance service reportedly ceased the renewal of contracts with counties in central and south Georgia so they could devote more emergency attention to the area of Atlanta and Fulton County, where the ambulance service is headquartered out of Grady Memorial Hospital.
Grady EMS will continue to provide local emergency ambulance service until 7 a.m. Sunday. That’s when Atrium Health Navicent officially begins offering new emergency medical services to residents in Milledgeville and Baldwin County.
During a special called meeting Tuesday night, the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with the new ambulance service provider.
Under the agreement, the county will pay Atrium Health Navicent EMS a sum of $195,000 for the first three years to provided emergency medical coverage throughout the city and county. In the fourth year, the price will rise to $214,500. And in the fifth year, it will climb to $235,950.
A number of EMTs and paramedics who had been working with Grady EMS have been hired by Atrium Health Navicent EMS, a local government official said.
As was the case with Grady EMS, Atrium Health Navicent EMS assumes providing local emergency medical coverage on a 24-hour, seven-day per week basis.
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