County moving on from Gold Cross next week
EL CENTRO — Officials announced Wednesday the County of Imperial will o cially transition emergency ambulance services from Schaefer Gold Cross to American Medical Response e ective Feb. 20.
Although the county’s agreement with Gold Cross runs through Dec. 31, 2022, the county previously announced Saturday that it had received an early termination notice e ective July 14, 2020.
At that point, the county said it had become aware of financial di culties the service provider is experiencing that could a ect the practicality of continuing service through the early termination date.
Since then, local officials have determined an early transition of services is necessary to ensure stability of the emergency medical services system, the county said in a release late Wednesday.
O cials continue to work closely with Gold Cross to e ect a smooth and organized transition. American Medical Response has agreed to serve as the interim provider while the County works to implement a long-term stability plan. Longterm sustainability will include the selection of a provider through a competitive process, the county said.
“We are pleased that AMR will be serving our community and are confident with AMR’s capabilities to provide a robust emergency ambulance services focusing on providing high quality care,” said Ryan E. Kelley, chairman of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors,
During the time leading up to the transition, Gold Cross will continue all operations and services at the same level of performance.
“Maintaining the stability and integrity of the County emergency medical services system is our top priority, and we are taking every measure to make sure that public safety is not at risk,” Kelley said.
“It is with deep disappointment that Schaefer Ambulance Service, dba Gold Cross Ambulance Service, must end its EMS Agreement with the County of Imperial,” said James McNeal III, director of operations for Schaefer, said in the county release. “Gold Cross and its employees have been providing excellent emergency services to the County of Imperial since 1974, and will continue to do so through the planned transition to a new provider. Gold Cross is committed to ensuring a smooth transition of services, as well as continuity of employment for its valued employees. Gold Cross would like to thank the county, local hospitals and law enforcement for the opportunity to provide service to the community of Imperial County for the past 45 years.”
On Saturday, an anonymous source identified as a Gold Cross employee, sent an email to county officials (including all five county supervisors) and local media outlets describing shortages and potential public safety issues stemming from what the company reportedly has been calling “extremely difficult financial circumstances.”
The circumstances described in the email included equipment shortages, personnel cutbacks and difficulty meeting payroll expenses. The email said that on Jan. 31, the company advised employees at Gold Cross they would no longer have health care or life insurance benefits through the company as of that day’s end.
“The dedication of Gold Cross’s staff and first responders should be commended,” said Chris Herring, the county’s Emergency Medical Services Agency manager, said. “We are well aware of the challenging situation that they are in, and they have continued to respond to calls and provide emergency medical care to our community.”
AMR is working to transition the current workforce in order to assure an organized change in service providers.
The EMS Agency will continue to monitor the performance of the EMS system during the transition period to ensure that adequate ambulance services are provided to the community, the county said. In the event of a decrease in service level, the county said it has contingency plans in place to ensure ambulance services remain at levels the community requires.
AMR is currently staging resources in the county to facilitate a smooth transition of services. These resources include ambulances stocked with critical supplies necessary to respond to emergency calls. Additional equipment and resources will continue to be brought to the county through the transition period.
For information about AMR visit: http://amr-sandiego.com/