Ambulance Station for Minor Hill!
The Budget Committee this morning approved putting an ambulance station in Minor Hill at a cost of between 250 and 300 thousand dollars a year. The last station that was established cost over $400,000.00. To accomplish this it would add $.05 to the tax rate.
The question isn’t do they need or deserve an ambulance station in Minor Hill but can the county afford it and what happens when the folks on Rose Hill/Campbellsville ask for one; don’t they also need and deserve a station? How many other communities would like to have an ambulance station?
The ambulance service has lost a tremendous amount of money each of the past number of years and while the service is needed isn’t it about time that it be made a more efficient less costly service. Is it unreasonable to suggest they at least break even if not make money?
The question isn’t do they need or deserve an ambulance station in Minor Hill but can the county afford it and what happens when the folks on Rose Hill/Campbellsville ask for one; don’t they also need and deserve a station? How many other communities would like to have an ambulance station?
The ambulance service has lost a tremendous amount of money each of the past number of years and while the service is needed isn’t it about time that it be made a more efficient less costly service. Is it unreasonable to suggest they at least break even if not make money?
posted by Allen Barrett | 3:44 PM
33 Comments:
Ambulance service should be sold. No ifs, ands, buts about it. Should have happened a long time ago.
Amen to that!
why should it be sold? rose hill and cambellsville do have a ambulance...called north station.
Minor Hill has an ambulance service... it's called Giles County Ambulance Service.
10:25 and 9:48
You have me confused. Where is North Station and is it from Giles County Ambulance service?
I take it for Minor Hill you are saying the Ambulance service in Pulaski. If that's all they need why did the other places need one?
Maybe what Giles County needed was a helicopter to get around to all these places.
I don't live at Minor Hill. I live in Pulaski. So I'm near the ambulance station.
Lovell got a North station last year for Milky Way. Now Stoney Jackson wants one for his neck of the woods. I want one for mine.
I need maid service - too old & lazy to keep things up & I will probably get a mold infection & die if the county doesn't send someone out two or three times a week to keep things spiffy.
If you are afraid of the inevitable & want an ambulance across the street, buy a house next to the hospital!
I live in the hinterlands because I love it! I don't expect someone following me around to stop my door bell from ringing when that time arrives!
You people might actually be able to make a decision about this if you knew that financial management is behind on billing by at least three to four months when the budget was figured, so we are making money but we can't show it becuase of the slow down in billing.
9:16 you are as crazy as a loon. The ambulance service has not even broke even much less make money for well over seven years.
There is some confusion about the ambulance service income. They do bill but it never fully covers the expenses. Also the service has never covered itself and broke even. The budget for the ambulance service expenses compared to the income might suggest it does but the expenses for salaries and benefits are not shown under ambulance service but lumped together.
the ambulance service does make money. it's the only county agancy that makes any money. just ask the lady that works over there in the office.
I will give a hundred dollars to anyone who can show a complete accounting of the ambulance service that shows they have made more money than they spent in any of the last five years. To sweeten that offer I will take a one year vow of silence toward the ambulance service. Allen Barrett
The "lady" that works over there in the ambulance office dont have anything to do with the money side of things any more. She is part of the ambulance problems so she will tell you anything.
It really pains me to say this, but WAB is correct on this one. The ambulance service is going from losing money in one spot,to losing money in two spots, then losing money in three spots, to now losing money in four spots. It is a HUGE drain on our dollars.
Would someone answer a question for me?
Does the Ambulance service ask if you can pay for the ambulance before they send after someone?
I bet they pick up a lot of people they never pay the bill. Probably some just don't have it to pay and some are just dead beats.
If taxpayers has to pay extra for Amublance Service, you'll find that the best taxes spent if you ever need them.
Problem is most of the time they don't even try to collect.
The hospital has to treat emergencies whether a person can pay or not yet they still make money, a lot of money.
Maybe they charge a lot.
Hospital might bill a lot but insurance, whatever the source is only going to pay so much. Problem with the amublance service is they dont make the effort to collect. Thats now Garners responsibility. She needs to earn her $70,000 salary.
Yeah, you are right 10:55. It is Loretta's job. But, so far she hasn't indicated to me that she is capable of doing her job and especially at that salary. She is clearly under-minded by Vanzant and the whole idea was to get a finance director that had the backbone to stand up to the bullies. Gee, seems like the finance office/co. exec. office is a great place to work. Earn a decent salary and be accountable to no one. And, that doesn't just apply to Loretta. Seems there are more than a few not doing their job as they should be. Thought there was going to be some accountability when the schools moved over to the finance office. Seems that A. Braden(payroll for the schools) is clearly doing what she has always done. Going unaccounted for! Call up there sometime and see if you can locate her. Ridiculous!
I would like to give a thumbs up to Traffic Enforcement up for getting the residential riding lawnmowers off of city streets. It's illegal and a road hazard and since they have the least amount of protection sitting on those things it's only a matter of time before one of them gets in a bad situation. The use of riding mowers for such transportation around town was spreading and they all needed to be told to take it home and park it.
I would like to give a thumbs down to Traffic Enforcement for so many drivers consistently using studded tires on their vehicles out of season. Studded tires are or were as of 2007 in TN are only allowed between Oct. 1 - Apr. 15 on vehicles weighing at or under 9,000 pounds.
There are a lot of drivers that do this and these studs eat up the road surface like a grinder which is why they are illegal in the Summer and outside of cold and ice, these studded tires on a bare Summer highway going 50 or 60 miles and hour generate a lot of heat and cause blowouts.
On a dry or wet road that is not sound deadened by ice or snow these tires make a very unique noise that is plainly audible at a distance without actually even seeing the studs on the tires but with enforcement always having their windows rolled up miss most all opportunity to pull over such vehicles and are stuck with a visual reference of the studs in tires if they may be behind such a vehicle but the stud runners are not only to cheap to get the right tires they avoid most detection by putting it on the front.
Also a thumbs down for allowing possibly 3 out of 10 cars to illegally conceal their license plates.
License plates in TN for passenger vehicles must be by law attached to the rear of the vehicle in a horizontal position, clearly legible and not placed behind tinting and must be lighted.
Any license plate in the rear window (or stuck on the back of the cab of a pickup truck) is illegal since it is propped up and not fastened, it is not lighted and 8 times out of 10 it is not horizontal and is most always behind tinting. They are barely visible in broad daylight and at night they are as good as tagless vehicles. From my observations concealed tags encourages illicit activities because those with concealed license plates are more apt to drive carelessly because they know the tag is concealed thus they can't be identified by other motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists and their make, model and color of their vehicle are everywhere. They are also the ones with more propensity to shoot air powered guns at people and property after dark which is a common problem since those spent CO2 cartridges are laying in the street gutter so that is approximately 70 to 90 spent BB's or pellets.
Also the plate it can be no more than 12 inches off the ground but due to that fact that most if not all vehicles are illegal in that respect straight from the factory the issue is moot, but, it is still legal probable cause to pull over every vehicle in America lol.
I would like to give a thumbs down to the Street Department for allowing a city wide chronic problem that exists every year from Oct. to Nov. starting at the fall of the leaves.
We are 1 month away from this annual disaster. The leaves that fall on the ground by whose ever hand that does it, are discarded in a heap directly into the street and left there. Soon as it rains they become packed solid into the gutter, dams up deep water, wrecks drainage, shortens the width of the road since most all drivers veer to the left to go around it and causes and over all road hazard for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians alike.
It's terminally ugly too, not to mention it's illegal dumping but year after year it's the same thing and always in front of the same properties when they could just as easily have whoever to bag them up of leave them in a heap on the right of way and not impeding and vehicle or foot for when that mobile vacuum cleaner the city has comes around.
Let's just get rid of the Ambulance service and not have one. Then some of you need one, how will you feel then.
The people working in the ambulance are trying to save lives.
I don't know about the office people, but they are need also. Just ride with a love one in the ambulance and listen to their radio, how the ambulances are called out to different accidents or sick person.
They get as quick as they can from Pulaski to any place in Giles County, but if one area gets an ambulance they all need one.
Its a cost justification versus a benefit. We can be taxed to death, if you like. The we can complain about the school system, the roads etc taking up all of our money.
I wonder, what percentage of counties nationwide run an ambulance service? And how many of those would like to leave that to free enterprize?
September 10, 2008 5:21:00 PM
I hope you get an answer to that because I would also like to know.
I would also like to know how the private owned ambulance service operates without going in the hole.
Do they know they are going to get paid before taking anyone or are they stuck with unpaid bills.
Hope someone can answer this.
Private ambulance services do correct billing, collections, and manage the whole operation better. When the private service came and spoke to Vanzant a while back he told her of an immediate $150,000 savings but it still continues as before.
Why then if a private service was here was it not brought to the commission? Why do we need a tax increase for yet another station, and if it is anything like the so called North station which is a travel trailor I am sure you can get one cheap? Oh yea maybe this time Mr Griggs can get them a bathroom that works!!!!!
These people work 24 hour shifts but is call volumne more than 4 or 5 calls a month to Minor Hill? Vanzant needs to make the public aware that private service here and give them a chance to clean up this mess!!!
The private services people were here early in July in a meeting with Vanzant and others. Vanzant told the private folks they could come back and study the local ambulance service. Then she called them and told them they couldnt come. Vanzant is a big part of the local problems. Seems the private service was very interested in taking on Giles.
Why in the world did she do that?? That sounds as if there are things she does not want found out....
Now,you're getting the picture 12:30!
If you really want a private service sit back and think about it for a minute.
1. If you think there will be a close ambulance if you need it, that is where you're wrong. Any ambulances running with be at or below what is barely needed.
2. If call volume gets high and some days it will. You will have to wait for one to get to you instead of one being there a quicker time. What if one is out of county or there aren't any units available? Lawrence County can barely cover there own people with the budget crisis over there.
3. The money that is spent on the ambulance service is used for salaries and equipment. The money that is brought in could be billed right if not for financial management.
4. If we are not the busiest area for the private service, we will get older and picked over equipment. Some of the equipment probably will not be as reliable as ours.
5. Giles Co. EMS has very progressive protocols that are getting better everyday from study and research. You may not be getting the proper or best care with whom they staff you with.
All of these are what ifs and just something to think about. Of course the private service will offer you the moon but will they deliver????? If it does sell I would hope so. You can never get back what you had before.
Why was the billing not being done properly all those many years before financial management came into being?
How do you propose a private ambulance service would be able to get around the state regulations for ambulance services?
How is it that a large number of counties are being served just fine by private ambulance services?
How is it that some working with the local ambulance services also work for private services and seem to think they are providing more than adequate care?
Stop being so defensive and try looking at the truth of the matter sometimes!
3:03 You said it perfectly. As far as the billing and reimbursement goes, for years it was not done correctly nor timely. Then a tremendous amount of write offs submitted by Phyllis and Paula. Now they have a woman working in the financial managment office who is not lazy and knows what she's doing. When she was first brought on staff she had to spent much time trying to straighten out what the former biller (Paula) had done.
A private company would not be running inferior cabs and equipment. They have to meet State standards, so don't try pulling that one.
They would also have supervisors make runs which Rog Griggs dont make happen.
Yes a private service knows they are going to get paid before they ever take the call and they do frequently refuse to take calls until they get paid!!
The Giles County Ambulance Service CAN NOT REUSE TO TAKE A CALL PERIOD!!
Private services send their employees out to do PR and drum up business!
Their dispatch system is not at all efficient as far as directions and things of that nature... What if you do have an emergency and no one knows how to get to you??
I wish for one day.. all the people who complain about the cost of running the ambulance service could go and ride with them to calls!!!
They have to go into some of the worst homes that no one could ever imagine..
they have to not only take care of the "sick or injured" person but the family and loved ones that are there at the time...
they get thrown up on and to be nice I will not go through the other bodily functions they have to deal with on a daily basis!!!
When someone does break down and call 911 for an ambulance that is at that point the worst day of their life.. something has happened and they can't fix it!!
So the EMT's and Paramedic's get to go out in the heat, cold, rain, snow.. what ever the conditions may be (24 hours a day;365 days a year and there are no holidays in EMS)and do their very best to make everybody happy and fix what is broke!!
Could you explain to a 7 year old little girl why her grandmother is sitting up in a chair but wont wake up and you cant make her better? Because it took 25 minuets to get to her house from town..
Could you pick up a lifeless 17 day old baby and do everything, sitting in their front yard, that they could do in the emergency room for that child?
NOW You tell me where does MONEY come into play at any point?
People have no idea what the employees at the ambulance service do. They sure don't work there for 20 or 30 years because it pays well.
AND one more thing... all of you who complain about the ambulances speeding??? YOU will need an ambulance one day and I assure you when you do, it wont get there fast enough! and those dollar signs $$$ that you see now will be the last thing on your mind!!
looks like lawrenceburg has went private. maybe giles county should follow suit.
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