Jackson County opens ambulance contract for bids, first time in 16 years

For the first time in 16 years, and in a split vote, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors decided to invite competition in to provide ambulance service in the county.

Acadian Ambulance has been the only company under contract with the county since 1999, when supervisors became dissatisfied with American Medical Response, another ambulance company, and looked for a replacement.

The county has stayed loyal to Acadian ever since, and last year, spent $180,000 to subsidize the service.

But on Monday, supervisor voted 3-2 to — with Melton Harris and Barry Cumbest dissenting — to accept proposals from other ambulance services. AMR was at the meeting Monday and said it was planning on making a pitch for Jackson County’s work.

Just the decision to look at opening up the contract saved the county money, said Supervisor Ken Taylor. Acadian Ambulance dropped the subsidy requirement earlier this year, he said.

No matter who gets the contract, Emergency Services Director Earl Etheridge told the Sun Herald he expects the county to spend no more than $22,000 to $24,000 on the subsidy in the future. He did point out that other counties pick up expenses for ambulance services they use, though they don’t call it a subsidy.

Taylor said he became interested in opening up the process when he saw what he called conflicts of interest between Acadian and members of the EMS Advisory Board that recommends ambulance services to the county. That board has been inactive for five years, Taylor said, but Jackson County revived it in this process. That board voted to keep Acadian and renegotiate.

“Why would you not want to compete a service,” Taylor said. “It’s for the citizens. You get a better job with competition.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Jackson County opens ambulance contract for bids, first time in 16 years."