Following multiple meetings with stakeholders and ambulance service representatives, the Attala County Board of Supervisors last week voted unanimously to have Priority Ambulance Service replace MedStat in providing emergency services in the city and county.
It was a difficult decision, supervisors said, because MedStat had been the city and county provider since 2006, and that they wanted to make it clear that the deicion had nothing to do with the MedStat staff, who had served the community well.
“A lot of thought, concern and prayers have been put into this,” said board Chairman Steven Goss. Supervisor Tim Pinkard agreed.
“Based on these proposals, Priority has the best proposal. I feel like, in my heart, looking out for the citizens of Attala County, this is the way we need to go,” he said. “I think you and your people are great, but we’ve been asking for more ambulances.”
Speaking directly to the MedStat staff present for the vote, Goss added, “Don’t think we take it lightly... Priority is offering for you to keep your jobs. In all of this, I don’t think we’ve heard any complaints about your people. We thank you; you do a great job. Please don’t take anything personally.”
MedStat had agreed to add one additional 12-hour ambulance to the two already dedicated locally for the current city/county subsidy of $66,000.
Priority, on the other hand, promised three fulltime dedicated and staffed ambulances, with a fourth available as backup, at no cost to the city or county.
Although there were significant differences in what each of the five propsoals indicated serving the city and county would cost, the decision ultimately focused on the resources each of the services was able to commit.
Representatives of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Attala had told the board that they had often struggled to get patients in need transferred to other facilities in a timely fashion. They presented supervisors with data suggesting that patients waited an average of nearly four hours to be transferred to other facilities, regardless of thier condition.
Once the board voted, one MedStat staffer commented that, “Money talks.”
Kosciusko Mayor Jimmy Cockroft, however, countered the comment.
“The money isn’t ths issue. If Dave (Eldridge of MedStat) could have made the decision, we would have had what we needed four or five years ago,” he said, referring to at least one additional ambulance dedicated to local service.
Eldridge told the board that MedStat staff appeared unlikely to move over to Priority employment.
“Seven of them live here within two minutes and the don’t want to go to Priority. They have all requested transfer to another county,” he said. “The branch you had is extremely passionate and you only heard about the bad days.”
For his part, Eldridge said he was very disappointed, but that he would always focus on helping the community.
“It’s been an honor and we’re still friends,” he told the board.
After representatives of the vying companies left the room, suprvisors, the cunty attorney and the mayor agreed that although it had not been a pleasant task, they felt as though the outcome will be in the best interest of the citizens of Attala County.
“It was a tough one,” said Supervisor Billy Coffee.
“I don’t feel any remorse about it,” said Supervisor Willie Perteet in reference to the reported multiple attempts to get MedStat leadership to dedicate more resources to the county.
“You took the best proposal,” said County Attorney Scott Pickle, garnering agreement from the mayor.
“We would have made the same decision,” said Cockroft. The city’s aldermen had agreed to bow out of ambulance contracting in favor of the entire county being served by one contract administered by the Board of Supervisors.
The board also indicated that they will follow the recommendation to convene an advisory board involving at least city, county, hospital and ambulance service representatives to regularly meet and evaluate how things are going and address problems as they arise.
