BEDFORD – The Commissioners approved and signed a contract with IU Health to provide ambulance service for Lawrence County.
“This has been in the works for a very long time,” said Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer.
According to the contract, IU Health will station three 911 ambulances and one squad or chase vehicle in Lawrence County beginning April 1, 2023. These units will be stationed at Dunn Plaza. The county will provide and pay for the building and dorms for those manning the medical units.
These three ambulances will NOT leave Lawrence County. They will only leave when transporting a critical patient from an accident or incident scene to the closest appropriate care facility.
“An example would be if they respond to an accident or fire scene and need to transport a patient to IU Bloomington for immediate treatment,” Luchauer added.
IU will staff an ambulance for the hospital’s inter-facility transports.
Lawrence County Central Dispatch will be responsible for dispatching ambulances. The county will also provide portable radios and mobile data terminals for the ambulances and squad.
The county agrees to pay IU Health a stipend of $300,000 to cover ambulance service from April 1, 2023, through December 21, 2023. The annual stipend will then increase in 2024, 2025, and 2026 to $400,000. All payments will be made bi-annually on July 30th and December 31.
The county will pay for this contract with American Rescue Plan Funds. Lawrence County received $4.4 million in ARP Funds.
Beginning on January 1, 2023, because of staffing issues, IU will provide two 911 ambulances and one squad. IU is in the process of hiring 16 EMTs and four or five paramedics to fill their contractual obligation and those of the hospital. Due to those staffing issues, IU will cut the cost of ambulance coverage by $100,000.
“IU will be holding an EMT class and will be paying those who attend,” said Luchauer.
To help combat staffing issues, IU Health will be offering an EMT class beginning January 19, 2023. IU will pay those who attend the classes. Those who complete the class successfully will be offered a position with the IU LifeLine ambulance service.
Commissioner Dustin Gabhart was pleased with the contact.
“There has never been a time since I have been in office we have not been working on establishing an ambulance service for Lawrence County,” said Gabhart. “This time Valerie and I decided it was time for the train to hook on and get moving.”
Commissioner Wally Branham shared, “People have no clue how long and how many hours the commissioner and Valerie have put into securing this contract. Both Dustin and Val have worked hard and non-stop on this.”
