A meeting of the Polk County Commission’s Ambulance Committee, originally scheduled for Thursday, December 17, before the regular commission meeting was called off, but representatives of CareMed ambulance service were present for the regular meeting.
The Ambulance Committee meeting had been planned after Polk commissioners heard a lengthy complaint about a lack of ambulance service from a Benton citizen at their November meeting. County Executive Robby Hatcher had been instructed to gather dispatch and ambulance service documents to review the complaint.
But Commissioner John Pippenger, chairman of the Ambulance Committee, said last week that as the December meeting approached, it became apparent a majority of the Ambulance Committee could not attend.
CareMed officials unexpectedly showed up at the regular meeting.
CareMed representative Stan Alford told commissioners that either eight or nine days during the first 14 days of December CareMed had not provided the coverage agreed to in the contract between the service and the county. Specifically, there had not been 12-hour ambulances on both ends of the county, in addition to the 24-hour ambulances on both ends, staffed every day during those eight or nine days.
When there should have been four ambulances available to answer calls during the 12-hour times, there were only three.
When asked how many times this had happened since CareMed took over the county’s ambulance service, Alford said he would have to research those numbers.
Alford told commissioners CareMed is working to fill the personnel slots to man the ambulances, and pointed to a shortage of certified people. He announced Chris Boggs has been put in charge of the Polk ambulances.
Alford said the company would begin doing 90-day look backs, and when 12-hour shifts are not staffed, penalize itself $250 a shift and reduce the county’s bill by that amount.
Commissioners did not express agreement with the penalty amount, but planned to meet later with CareMed officials.
CareMed took over ambulance for Polk County after it was awarded the contract in September and began service October 1. At that time, county officials were told it would take four weeks to get the service up to the terms of the contract. Those weeks drug out into five or six.
Polk County is paying CareMed $60,000 per month. The company is supposed to provide a 24-hour ambulance seven days a week on each end of the county, a 12-hour ambulance seven days a week on each end, and a Quick Response Vehicle as a backup where needed.