From the Franklin Township Sentinel

 

From the Gloucester County Times

 

 

County to craft medical response network

After months of discussions, Gloucester County officials have decided to start the process of consolidating emergency medical services into a countywide system.

The freeholders announced last June they would explore the possibility of creating several hubs throughout the county paid for with county tax dollars which would run paid crews 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They have now decided it is a worthwhile venture and are in the process of hiring someone to act as the new department's coordinator.

"We feel that if the county takes this over, we'll be able to improve on response times and quality of care," said county Administrator Chad Bruner. "There's always problems with daytime coverage because it's hard to get volunteers during the day."

Slow response times were key to the decision. The national standard for response time is around 9 minutes. Several communities in Gloucester County, however, have response times which are close to double that, according to Freeholder Helene Reed, liaison to the county department of emergency management.

"If you're not able to breathe, you don't want to wait for a second or third call to get assistance," Reed said. "This is something that's needed."

County leaders stressed they were not criticizing those who volunteer in many of the 24 municipalities.

Joining the system will be up to each town.

At each hub, there will be a minimum of two fully staffed ambulances, officials said. The rigs will be stationed in locations where the majority of calls originate. In some cases, an ambulance may roam the covered communities rather than remain in the squad building.

Logan, Swedesboro, Woolwich and East Greenwich already have a similar system in place. More than two years ago, three of those communities joined forces. It has been almost a year since East Greenwich was added.

"I think we prove every day that the concept of regionalization works," said Andy Lovell, chief of the Logan EMS squad. "You can deliver a better product to taxpayers. It's a better use of taxes."

Several details of the county's new program could not be answered this past week, including exactly how many employees would be hired, how much the plan will cost, the location of the hubs and what would happen to extra equipment already owned by towns that join the program.

The county intends to lease existing ambulances and stations, offsetting an estimated 50 percent to 65 percent of the operating cost through medical insurance billing, officials said.

Those already involved in EMS programs throughout the county will be the first ones sought to fill the created positions.

Bruner said an early estimate determined that it could cost no more than a penny on the county tax rate up to $2.5 million a year to run the program.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has offered a $300,000 grant to support the program.

Residents will not be billed for the services; however, their insurance providers would be charged. County EMS will also serve those without health insurance.

Exactly where the hubs will be located is uncertain because the county does not yet know which communities will join.

According to Reed, similar programs have worked in Maryland and Tampa.

Freeholders began considering the idea after learning in 2005 that 7 percent of calls for service were missed by local ambulance services and forwarded to neighboring squads. The Times reported then that 2,263 calls were missed in 2004.

The first phase of the county EMS program is slated to begin by September.