Ambulance service evolves on ground, in air

Ambulances — of the fourwheel kind and the helicopter kind — became the focus of Monday’s Town Hall meeting with county officials.

Elected county officials attending the meeting included County Judge Bob Clinard, County Tax Assessor Bear Chaney, County Tax Collector Gloria Peterson, County Clerk Tena O’Brien, Sheriff Kelley Cradduck and Justices of the Peace Pat Adams, Susan Anglin, Joel Jones and Mike McKenzie. Also on hand were nearly a dozen members of the elected officials’ staffs.

Possibly as many as 20 people not directly connected to the county attended the meeting that started at 6 p.m. in the Pea Ridge Emergency Services Building.

The ambulance discussion arose during a question-and-answer session that followed a presentation by each county official.

Helicopter ambulances became an issue a few weeks ago when Mercy Northwest Arkansas in Rogers announced it added a helicopter service. Northwest Medi- cal Center has operated a helicopter ambulance for decades.

Clinard noted there are four different companies that can provide helicopter service to the county. In addition to Mercy and Northwest, helicopters from Joplin, Mo., and Springfield, Mo., can serve the county.

The issue for residents, a man in the audience said, is people have been paying yearly membership dues for the Northwest service, but now face the prospect of having the Mercy helicopter serve them.

“The protocol is to dispatch the closest vehicle or air evac to the scene,” Clinard said. “We don’t have a way, unless the patient

(or a family member) says we want Air Evac out of Springdale — if they can’t do that they’ll get the closest air ambulance. I know people have paid membership to Air Evac. But that’s not the county’s responsibility.”

Clinard noted that even before Mercy started its service, the potential still existed for another helicopter to arrive because the Northwest helicopter could be down for maintenance or on another run or for other reasons.

“Still, $40 or whatever it is, is cheap insurance for a trip that can cost $12,000 to $18,000,” Clinard said.

He noted the county is working on a story with Northwest Arkansas Newspaper’s local dailies to produce a story outlining the issue.

Regarding traditional ground ambulances, Clinard outlined the recent conflict of ambulance service in cities and in unincorporated areas.

Clinard called the issue “A 1,000-pound gorilla.” He said a group would be meeting Tuesday (April 16) to discuss how cities that operate ambulance services can be paid for serving the unincorporated areas.

“There are seven or eight providers. It was fine up to three years ago, they got what insurance paid,” Clinard said. Rising costs made it a financial burden, so the operators started looking for money.

“The county started paying — first it was $100,000, then $150,000, now $300,000. We asked what the number would be next year — the number that came back was $1.2 million.”

Ways to pay for it include a sales tax increase, a millage increase, a per-house fee or alter the existing budget by cutting something.

He hopes to have the situation resolved by October.