Washington County plans to decide on BLS ambulance

After weeks spent going over the details, the Washington County Board of Supervisors said they would likely decide on a proposal to add a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance crew at their Nov. 16 meeting this week.

Ambulance Director Jeremy Peck said the BLS crews, which could carry out any ambulance services not requiring a paramedic, would cost the county money now, but save it in the long run.

“We’re going to have to do a budget amendment in December for the salaries because we did not have this truck planned when we did the budget last year,” Peck said. “But in the end, the revenue should offset that salary by a fair amount. The goal is, if this works, we can keep doing this … if we can not cost the taxpayers any money in a couple years, then that’s my job and I hope we stick to it.”

Peck said that revenue would largely come from transfers the BLS team could run, which would relieve some of the demand on crews with paramedics.

“Our hope is about 20 transfers a week,” he said. “Over the year you’d make about $1 million if you would get paid in full for every single transfer that we take. We know that’s not realistic, we know for example that Medicare gives us roughly 45% of what we bill … for a total revenue estimate of $639,600. Expenses, if we do what we want to do, is $404,418.”

Peck added that he deliberately overshot expenses, just to be on the safe side.

“We took the (pay) for full-timers at the highest pay we approved last week and we took that at time-and-a-half,” he said. “What I’m wanting to give you guys is the absolute worst-case scenario here … there’s going to be days where we’re not going to have part-timers, we’ll have to have the full-timers. There’s going to be days where we’ll have to have a paramedic on there.”

While supervisors were open to Peck’s proposition, Board Member Jack Seward Jr. said he wanted to run it by others in the county with a hand in the budget making process.

“I suspect that our budget people here in the County may look at some of those figures and projections differently,” Seward said. “I want to get all sides.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com