By Carter Frye
Grand Haven Tribune
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Councilmembers unanimously awarded a bid to Life EMS to become the future ambulance provider for the City of Grand Haven.
The city joins Grand Haven Charter Township, Spring Lake Township, Crockery Township and the City of Ferrysburg in approving the switch from Trinity Health, which has served the area since 2022.
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The township’s current contract with Trinity, which is shared with other municipalities in Northwest Ottawa County, is set to expire on Dec. 31 . Local fire chiefs and public safety leaders, including Grand Haven’s Nichole Hudson, recommended a change in ambulance providers after several issues were brought up at a meeting of the Grand Haven Area Ambulance Committee this past summer.
“We looked at some of the changes and some of the concerns that we had with the consistency with staffing, consistency of response times, patient care, and really just our expectations in what our communities deserve and what they deserve moving forward in terms of EMS response,” said Hudson, chief of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety.
A request for proposal (RFP) was sent out last month, and the committee received offers from Life EMS, Trinity Health, and American Medical Response (AMR). After evaluating each proposal, the review committee unanimously agreed that Life EMS best met the standards of the community.
The agreement is expected to last for four years with three two-year extension options. Hudson noted that Life EMS was also the only provider to agree to the committee’s terms and standards without any subsidy.
Anecdotally, multiple councilmembers mentioned that the local medical service has not been the same since Trinity Health took over for North Ottawa Community Hospital (NOCH) just over three years ago. NOCH had served the area since 2005.
“I’ve heard from a lot of community members that are not happy with the ambulance service we currently have,” said Councilmember Mike Dora. “This, to me, looks like it’s going to be a step up.”
The Village of Spring Lake, Robinson Township and a portion of Port Sheldon Township are also expected to make the change at upcoming meetings. Once a contract is negotiated, it will come back to each municipality for final approval.
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