By EMS1 Staff
CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. — Cherokee County filed an injuction against a hospital system and claims they are breaking a contract by ending their free EMS services.
WSPA reported that Mary Black Health System-Gaffney is suing Cherokee County, who is trying to stop the discontinuation of EMS services that is set to end March 1 and says the hospital is breaking a contract that was created in 1984.
“Cherokee would respectfully show that it will suffer immediate, irreparable harm without the injunction since there will be an imminent danger of death and other harm as the result of Gaffney HMA’s refusal to honor its contractual obligation to Cherokee and its willful failure to provide EMS services to Cherokee residents,” a court document said. “Cherokee has no adequate remedy at law since Cherokee has no agreed means of providing substitute service to remedy the imminent harm caused by Gaffney HMA’s breach and refusal.”
The injuction requested that the hospital be required to provide the services until litigation ends.
If the court does not agree, Cherokee County asks that they be paid by the hospital the amount that they would be charged by another EMS agency while litigation continues.
“Cherokee County has been unable as of the date of this affidavit to arrange for and secure alternative EMS service. If Gaffney HMA, LLC unilaterally ceases to provide EMS service, it is virtually certain that there will be residents of Cherokee County who will be irreparably harmed on March 1, 2018 and thereafter,” Cherokee County administrator Billy Blanton said.