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by Tom Coombe
A meeting slated for Friday figured to bring more discussion, more details and perhaps some movement on a recommendation that local ambulance service go back under the umbrella of Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital.
A working group convened by the hospital met for the first time at EBCH, bringing hospital representatives together with local government officials and those involved with ambulance services in Ely, Babbitt and Tower.
The meeting, set for the hospital’s conference room, was also to include representatives of SafeTech Solutions, the firm that recommended earlier this year that ambulance service return to hospital ownership.
SafeTech was engaged by the hospital and made its presentation at a June meeting, but a subsequent session in Ely in late-August, yielded both support and skepticism about the proposal.
That led to the formation of the working group as part of an effort led by EBCH.
EBCH’s Northeast Regional Ambulance initiative came about and the hospital has asked directors of each area ambulance service, representatives of area units of government and a designee from the Ely Area Ambulance Service board to attend.
SafeTech Solutions was engaged to facilitate the discussion.
“This is just the first step of a long process,” said city clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski, who briefed council members about the meeting this week.
Al Forsman, who represents Ely on the ambulance joint powers board, as well as Paul Kess, who council members asked to be appointed to the non-profit board, were slated to attend.
In its recommendation unveiled earlier this year, SafeTech suggested that EBCH’s standing as a critical access hospital would help the ambulance service capture a much larger share of Medicare reimbursements and fund an operation that would allow for as many as four fully-staffed ambulances in the region - two in Ely and one each in Babbitt and Tower.
But while the city of Winton has already gone on record in support of the proposal and Tower and Ely representatives have indicated they’re open to pursuing more details, the plan has also encountered pushback, particularly from the city of Babbitt.
Babbitt officials have raised concerns related to staffing, coverage and facilities, while other skeptics have urged area leaders to slow down and seek more details about any potential new arrangement.
Yet discussions have revealed many of the challenges related to the current set-up. Those have included EAAS budget shortfalls requiring an infusion of cash from local governments, staffing issues particularly related to interfacility transports.
