S.C. Hospital Making Plan to Run County EMS
Sept. 26--Representatives of AnMed Health Medical Center confirmed Friday that they began formulating a plan months ago outlining what the hospital would need to do to handle all of Anderson County's calls for emergency medical services.
But they said they did so because Anderson County officials asked if the hospital would be interested in participating in a unified EMS system.
AnMed employees David Cothran and Paul Hubbard said they created an EMS plan and presented it to the hospital's executive committee. Cothran is AnMed's director of emergency and trauma services, while Hubbard is director of LifeFlight, the hospital's air medical transport service.
"We don't have a master plan," Cothran said. "We didn't go out seeking to create one. ... But when we're asked if we're interested in participating, our answer is yes, because we are interested in quality care.
"We were tasked with setting up an imaginary EMS system and presenting that to the executive team," Hubbard said. "We haven't submitted anything to the county and we haven't committed anything."
It's not clear when AnMed's plan was created. Cothran and Hubbard both said it was at least a couple of months ago, and County Administrator Rusty Burns said Friday that he thought he spoke with someone from AnMed about EMS "three or three and a half months ago."
"Nothing was promised, nothing was intended," Burns said. "It was simply exploration."
Hospital spokesman Ross Norton said the AnMed meeting at which an EMS plan was presented to hospital executives happened back in March.
Cothran and Hubbard spoke Friday at a meeting in Anderson that included representatives from Medshore Ambulance Service and some chiefs from the county's nonprofit rescue squads. Representatives of Medshore, a private company, approached the chiefs about creating a unified system of emergency medical services in Anderson County and the group also invited AnMed to participate in the discussions. Medshore and the chiefs had their first meeting to discuss an EMS plan last week, but AnMed representatives did not attend that one. Cothran and Hubbard said Friday that they did not realize they were invited to the previous meeting.
Talk of creating a unified EMS system has intensified recently, after Anderson County began seeking a consultant to do an in-depth analysis of the rescue squads. County officials' desire for a deeper analysis came after a smaller, county-commissioned study revealed financial problems in most of the county's small squads, and after Williamston Emergency Medical Services became the subject of an ongoing state investigation.
The county normally pays nonprofit rescue squads in Belton, Honea Path, Iva, Pelzer, Pendleton, Townville and Williamston and Medshore a total of $4 million annually to handle emergency calls throughout the county. After officials determined that Williamston Emergency Medical Services was operating at least $300,000 in debt and could not pay its workers, the county entered a contract with Medshore to provide temporary service in the town.
The County Council has not yet received a study committee's recommendation on who should do the in-depth analysis of squads. But Greg Shore, the CEO of Medshore, said he is preparing as though any consultant will recommend that the county should have a unified EMS system instead of one that depends on multiple rescue squads.
Belton EMS Chief Scott Robinson said it is important to be prepared for such a recommendation.
"Are you willing to play ball with us?" Robinson asked the representatives from AnMed.
Cothran and Hubbard said they will be attending future meetings of the group to listen and learn more about what people want.
Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo
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