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Submitted by Jill M. Parsons
"Same staff, same service, same commitment," was the slogan used by a group
of St. Joseph's Ambulance employees as they announced to the Hospital's
Administration last evening their intent to purchase the service. This
action comes after an injunction was filed by Camden-Clark to restrict the
Wood County Commission's approval of planned purchaser General Ambulance
from being designated as a primary provider of EMS services in the county.
"There shouldn't be any issues on anyone's part about the quality of care
since the employees now plan to purchase the service and run it in the same
manner it has been provided since opening in 1973," said Patsy Hardy, CEO of
St. Joseph's Hospital. "The injunction on Friday gave the employees the
opportunity to pursue another option and we listened excitedly to their plan
yesterday evening."
Since 1982, emergency services in the Mid-Ohio Valley have been provided by
the ambulance departments of both St. Joseph's and Camden-Clark hospitals.
Depending on the location of the accident, one of the hospitals' ambulances
would be dispatched by the 911 Center. "Our goal is for this existing
collaboration between the two services to continue just as it has for the
past twenty years," said Dwane Weekley, Director of St. Joseph's Ambulance
services and a resident of Grantsville, and one of the employees involved in purchasing the department.
Weekley will continue as the director of the employee-purchased operation,
bringing his 23 years of experience in EMS to the success of the new
business.
"What makes this option work boils down to continuity," Weekley continued.
"It is the same staff, same service, same commitment - it's a commitment to
the community, to advanced emergency care and a commitment to work
collaboratively with all other ambulance providers under the exact same
scenario the services have been provided to the citizens for the past two
decades."
The agreement with General Ambulance was not executed after the injunction
was filed on Friday afternoon. General Ambulance will appear in Judge
Reed's Circuit Court this Wednesday to present its credentials and licensure
as a current provider of BLS (Basic Life Support) and back-up ALS (Advanced
Life Support) services in the county. General has provided BLS and back-up
ALS in Wood County since 2001 and plans to continue in this role. "The
injunction essentially tied our hands to purchase the St. Joseph's service,"
stated Angie Goff, spokesperson for General. "We plan to keep our status
the same in Wood County, operating as a BLS and back-up ALS provider, as we
have done for the past two years. We understand St. Joseph's decision to
explore this option to ensure these services continue uninterrupted. We
look forward to continuing our relationships with all the ambulance
providers in Wood County."
The entire Ambulance staff joined together at the Wood County Courthouse to
present their plan to the Wood County Commissioners at today's regularly
scheduled Commission meeting. It is anticipated that the transition will
occur at the end of July.
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