Anderson County extends EMS contracts

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By Stan Welch
The Anderson County Council convened  a special called meeting last Thursday to approve a sixty day extension of the contracts the county currently has with the various emergency medical services providers. The county also distributed draft copies of the proposed full contract for the coming year so the squads and their officers can review it.
The contract addresses a number of issues, including more transparency and verification in reporting such data as response times; the various units will be required to operate surveillance software that will allow the transparent reporting of data to the Medical Director of the EMS system, the QI coordinator and the county EMS operations manager. In addition, each squad or provider will be required to submit thorough monthly reports, as well as an annual report.


The contract also calls for the care providers, either individually or collectively, to develop a quality management plan (QMP) and submit it to the medical director, an independent contractor who oversees the performance of the various care providers. Within the QMP structure, additional guidelines must be developed for on-line medical control, transport destination policies, and the use of air medical services in support of the EMS mission.
On July 13, at 6:30 p.m., a special called meeting will be held to receive input from the various squads and providers prior to any formal action being taken on the contract. The sixty day extension will carry the current contract terms through August 30, which will allow for any changes to the draft contract to be made. Each care provider is asked to have at least one spokesman at the July 13 meeting, and they are encouraged to put their concerns or suggestions in writing.
Council chairman Tommy Dunn also announced that requests for proposals, (RFP) will go out next week, seeking to determine the cost of replacing two quick response vehicles (QRV) currently located at the Ebenezer and Williford fire stations with full service ambulances.
The Council also voted on several rezoning requests, including second reading for a thirty five acre tract off Highway 77 in the Williamston Mill Precinct. The tract, upon third reading approval, would be rezoned from C-2, or highway commercial, to R-20, which is the designation for single family residential with a lot size requirement of at least twenty thousand square feet.