CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — The Clarion County Commissioners on Tuesday morning urged the start of a conversation about how to address critical problems facing ambulance services in the county.
“We have to have a conversation because I don’t think we all want to wake up sometime and find out that there is no ambulance service,” said Commissioner Ted Tharan. “It’s a little late then.”
Tharan and fellow Commissioners Wayne Brosius and Ed Heasley expressed a need to do something before it gets to a crisis situation.
The primary culprits are revenue and staff.
“The ambulance at Clarion Hospital had to stop from providing services to Marienville 7:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. the next morning because they don’t have staff, and they are losing $100,000.00 a year,” said Tharan. “It’s something we have to start considering, and we’d like some input.”
The EMTs and paramedics face at least two years of required training, and when they can start full-time, they face low wages of a little over $10.00/hour in most locations. Adding problems to staffing, once they are trained, they often leave for greener pastures.
The salary varies a little depending on the location, but in Clarion County, Clarion Hospital and five independent ambulance companies provide all of the services, including:
- Clarion Hospital EMS
- East Brady Ambulance Service
- Emlenton Area Ambulance
- Knox Ambulance Service
- Shippenville-Elk Volunteer Ambulance
- Southern Clarion County Ambulance Service
The ambulance companies vary in the level of service they can provide.
“They can’t all staff to the level they should be at,” said Tharan. “Ambulances are paid $350.00 per run, and if the ambulance gets a call out, they must go. If they get there in the case of an overdose and that person refuses treatment, they don’t get to bill anybody. Shippenville had a couple of times when they couldn’t staff, but other services are notified, and they will stand by.
“We have to start having a conversation with the community.”
Heasley noted that it is also a statewide problem, and fire departments are also having a problem with finding enough volunteers. Firefighters also undergo significant required training. All fire departments in Clarion County are volunteer.
“The best thing for the community to do for ambulance service now is just to send in their membership because it’s a low percentage that responds,” said Brosius.
Dan Hosey, director of Clarion Hospital EMS, has invited township supervisors to meet. He attended their meetings to explain the situation to the supervisors in hopes of getting financial help from the townships, according to Heasley.
“Being a Commonwealth, I think it’s the responsibility of the lowest entity of government to provide emergency services — townships and municipalities,” said Tharan.
“The townships can enact fees to provide emergency services like fire or ambulances.”
Perry Township in Clarion County is reportedly the only township in Clarion County to have such a fee.
“Let’s have a conversation before it’s too late,” said Tharan.
