By Sarah Watson
Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa
(TNS)
DAVENPORT, Iowa — A countywide plan to stabilize Scott County’s ambulance service in the long term appears to be gaining ground.
County Administrator Mahesh Sharma told supervisors on Tuesday that Davenport leaders have decided against pursuing city EMS and will instead back a plan to bring nonprofit MEDIC under the county’s umbrella and offer countywide services.
“Both the city administrator of Davenport and Mayor (Mike) Matson have briefed us that they would support the countywide EMS services,” Sharma said. “At this point, they’re standing down with exploring the city of Davenport providing their own services.”
Davenport’s decision will make the county’s path forward — projecting finances, staffing needs and logistics — easier, Sharma said.
“They saw that we have made the progress, and the board has given the blessing to move forward. They thought it was a good time to support us,” Sharma said, adding that he appreciates Davenport doing its due diligence.
MEDIC is the nonprofit EMS and ambulance service provider for most of Scott County. In recent years, the nonprofit has faced low reimbursement rates from Medicaid, staff shortages and rising supply costs.
County and MEDIC leaders support declaring EMS as an “essential” county service and bringing MEDIC on as a county department to ward off future funding uncertainties and to ensure ambulances respond when Scott County residents call for a medical emergency. A government-entity status would unlock grant funding not available to nonprofits and would exempt expensive ambulance purchases from taxes.
On Tuesday, supervisors approved hiring a business consultant to prepare a transition plan and report on how the county would absorb MEDIC ambulance services.
Previously, Matson said the city was “very strongly looking at” offering city-run ground emergency transportation service for Davenport residents.
Matson cited greater efficiency and cost savings if Davenport struck out on its own, emphasizing that the city already employed EMTs and paramedics.
At the time, Matson said he didn’t see a downside to the city offering EMS. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment, following the latest development in the matter.
The board agreed Tuesday to hire Public Consulting Group to prepare a report and plan for a transition for a fee of $33,500. All four supervisors present voted for it, with outgoing Democrat Ken Croken absent.
Budget Director David Farmer said county staff was impressed with the group’s more than 70 years of fire and EMS services in multiple states, including Iowa.
The consultant would analyze operations during the first 2-3 months of the contract, which will look at call volume, response time, EMS needs, potential impacts to 911 dispatching, organizational structure and a transition timeline for the county to absorb MEDIC, according to a county memo.
A second analysis would examine administration and finances of a transition and would include community and city interviews, employee engagement, staffing assessment, revenue projections, comparisons to three similar agencies or departments, and impacts to administration and regulation of the merger.
In October, supervisors asked for a county-developed transition plan, which county staff said they plan to provide to the board by March 2023.
Chairman Ken Beck said the supervisors were aiming to have a county EMS department start at the beginning of the next fiscal year, July 1, 2023, or at the start of the calendar year, Jan. 1, 2024.
County Supervisor Tony Knobbe said he applauded the step to bring EMS on as a county department, despite normally opposing government expansion.
“It’s pretty rare, I would say, that it’s appropriate and the best solution that the government entity be in the business of something previously provided by private; in this case private nonprofit,” Knobbe said. “But because of the perhaps efficiencies we bring to the table, because of the tax savings, because of the government grants, it seems to make sense. And I absolutely applaud the step to draw upon resources available, especially on a nationwide basis to bring those best practices to bear.”
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