Charlotte EMS in need of additional funding

By Crystal Vandegrift, Staff Writer

During last Tuesday’s meeting of the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors, Emergency Medical Service members Walt Bailey and Bill Mayhew made a presentation to the board informing them that they have a need for additional funding. Bailey did not ask the board for a particular dollar amount of financing during the presentation.

“The reason we did not ask for funding during the meeting is because we (EMS) need to determine how much we actually need,” said Bailey. “Right now we are looking at historical data and putting together a budget and seeing what cuts we might be able to make before we ask for additional funding.”

Bailey went on to point out, “We are not broke at the moment, and we are just trying to determine what is needed and not wait until we are out of money to ask for help.”

Currently, the county funds the EMS with $65,000 per year, and, according to the presentation, that amount needs to be $105,000 at the least to keep services ongoing.

The last increase the Charlotte County Rescue Squad received from the county was in 1999 when funding went from $35,000 to the current $65,000.

According to Bailey, in 1999 the squad answered 600 calls, all using volunteers. Fast forward to 2015 and the squad responded to 1,600 calls by using paid personnel costing on average $565 per call. Also, in 1999, the county only had one EMS station located in Keysville; today there are three stations serving the county.

Bailey also pointed out that due to the increase in calls, First Responders from the Charlotte Court House and Drakes Branch fire departments are also being utilized to help. “They are an essential component and have helped tremendously,” he said.

In 2010, the squad’s expenses began increasing. The move from volunteer to paid rescue workers occurred two years later, and EMS gained $333,000 with the approval from the Board of Supervisors for billing patients. However, losses mounted in the years following. “This can not continue,” said Bailey.

Also, due to funding issues, it has become hard for the rescue squad to fully staff all three stations. Currently, there is no 24-hour EMS service in Phenix or Wylliesburg, which is not in compliance, according to Bailey.