Starke County EMS Director Travis Clary presented ambulance transfer figures to the county commissioners Monday night and the numbers caused concern.
The percentage of transfers dropped from 35 or 25 percent to 10 percent last month. Clary explained that Porter Regional brought in a full-time ambulance that is available at Starke Hospital 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The Porter ambulance service is getting a majority of the Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support and nursing home transfer calls while Starke County EMS is not getting as many.
Commissioner Kathy Norem was quick to note that transfers help fund the EMS services.
“It will affect the taxpayers too. That’s how we fund the paramedic system that increased the quality of care – at the hospital’s request, I might add. That would be something we would want to do anyway and we should have done that. I’m proud of being able to have done that, but like any other business it’s very contingent on your collections and being able to fund that,” stated Norem.
The commissioners also expressed concern that patients are waiting longer than usual to be transferred. Norem said a family member had to wait and that person was very ill.
“They needed to be transferred and they had to wait for the Porter ambulance to get back from a transfer. I don’t know why they didn’t call you guys. I know other people that have had to wait while they came back.”
It was suggested that Clary, EMS Clerk Mary Lynn Ritchie, a commissioner, and a council member discuss the issue and other with La Porte Hospital CEO Ashley Dickinson.
