County Council to meet with first responders on EMS study

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By Stan Welch

Anderson County Council will hold a special called meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday evening to receive input from first responders, medical care providers and the general public concerning the recently released study on the future of the county’s emergency medical services.

The study, authorized by the county, following the administrative and financial collapse of the Williamston Rescue Squad last year, was released by Fitch & Associates last month, and raised a number of concerns about the fragmented nature of the county’s emergency medical services. The individual nature of the various rescue squads and EMS squads across the county contributes to communications and accountability problems, according to that study.

Another issue is the significant involvement of several of the squads in providing non-emergent transport to clients, as a means of generating revenue. The study adds that the system functions as a patchwork quilt; with some squads partly regulated by the county, with others operating with almost total autonomy.

Not surprisingly, three of the five recommended options in the study focus on creating “ a single point of responsibility for the provision of all emergency services within the county.” (Emphasis added) The first such option is a single system, operated by the county. How that system would be structured, established and equipped is yet to be determined.

Option two would provide a fail safe franchise for emergency medical services only. Individual squads could choose to be involved under the master agreement with the emergency care provider, without county subsidy, which currently exists. A stronger requirement for contractor accountability would also be included.

The third option would involve the hospital system, in this case AnMed, taking over and operating the system. While providing a single point of responsibility, and allowing for a greater integration of the levels of emergency and primary care, the proposal has several flaws, including the possible future change of the hospital’s focus of care, or the intrusion of a second hospital into the service area.

The fourth option would establish a fail safe emergency only franchise, while increasing the licensing requirements for non-emergent transport (NET) operations. The greatest shortcoming to this approach would likely be the increased regulation level, which might require legislative action or increased regulatory involvement.

Finally, the study offers the option of making changes to the status quo, which would not change the current system, or the zones covered by existing squads, It would centralize clinical and operational authority to enforce regulations, and would enhance care by implementing additional reporting standards.

But the report describes the implementation of those standards as cumbersome, under the fragmented nature of the system, which would continue under this option.

The meeting will be held in the main Anderson Library conference room. The library is located on S. McDuffie Street. No votes are likely to be taken, as indicated by the published agenda.