County Working to Beat Ambulance Contract Deadline

Effingham County officials are working to beat the end of April deadline to ensure uninterrupted 911 ambulance service.

County Board Ambulance Oversight Committee Chairman Rob Arnold shared information with his committee members Tuesday afternoon about the situation.

The County's current contract with Abbott EMS is due to expire April 30. In the meantime, county officials are working with Rural Med, the agency that will take over 911 service, to make sure they are ready to go when the contract with Abbott ends.

Arnold, though, said that Abbott has continued to work with the County in case Rural Med isn't ready to take over. The Ambulance Oversight Committee took longer than expected to get its work completed and then, after the committee recommended Rural Med to the full Board, the full Board rejected the recommendation on a split vote before reversing their decision and awarding the contract to Rural Med. Those delays left less time for a changeover to a different ambulance service.

Arnold said additional information should be available by the County Board's Tax and Finance Committee meeting on March 17.