Council awards EMS pact
QualityMedical Transport selected for daytime coverage
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON- Township Council members have awarded an emergency medical services transport contract to Quality Medical Transport Inc., a Beachwood ambulance service.

The contract was voted upon at the council's meeting on Feb. 11.

Quality Medical Transport will serve the residents of Jackson during the daytime hours and the Jackson Volunteer First Aid Squad will continue to provide coverage during the evening and overnight hours.

Quality Medical Transport will provide backup service for the volunteer first aid squad and will provide three ambulances instead of the two that were in town in the past.

There will be a 30-day clause in the contract which will allow Jackson officials to cancel the service if the firm cannot perform its duties.

According to a proposal provided by the firm, Quality Medical Transport will collect for its services only from the insurance company of the patient and will work for free if the patient has no insurance coverage.

Council members Scott Martin and Angelo Stallone and council President Ann Updegrave voted to award the contract to Quality Medical Transport.

Councilman Jason Gudaitis voted no.

Councilwoman Emily Ingram, who could not attend the Feb. 11 meeting due to a previous commitment, said her choice was to award the contract to QualityMedical Transport.

Martin read a statement from Ingram in which the councilwoman said, "Emergency medical service is extremely vital to the health of Jackson residents and with proper internal control I believe QualityMedical Transport can provide efficient service. My request would be to have Quality Medical Transport submit monthly reports to the township administrator and to the selected ad-hoc committee detailing the response times as well as any issues that have occurred."

Ingram also asked that an executive from Quality Medical Transport attend a town meeting on a quarterly basis to discuss matters of concern with municipal officials and residents.

During an earlier caucus meeting council members discussed the idea of naming an emergency medical services oversight committee that would consist of two or three residents and possibly an adviser from the Jackson Police Department and from the volunteer first aid squad who would oversee the provision of emergency medical services.

In order to provide a permanent oversight committee the mayor would have to amend the administrative code, Updegrave said. She suggested two residents, Kenneth Bressi and Dennis Lafer, who could be on the committee with Gudaitis.

Gudaitis suggested a maximum of a five-member committee.

Mayor Mark Seda recommended that the oversight committee should have access to Quality Medical Transport's response times.

Township Attorney George Gilmore said he believes the committee should be permanent at this point. The oversight committee would have no real power except to observe the job being done by Quality Medical Transport and to advise municipal officials, he said.

The council members did not vote on whether there will be an emergency medical services oversight committee. That decision may be made at a future meeting of the council.

When comments from the public were taken resident John Walters said he was disappointed there was not more discussion about the alternatives. He recommended that the volunteer first aid squad remain in the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. slot because it strengthens the program for the squad's younger members.

"The township should support the first aid squad with more than $20,000," he said, adding that he favored having Quality Medical Transport provide the daytime coverage.

Martin said he was asked by first aid squad officers to move the end time for coverage by the volunteer squad to 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.

Martin voted to award the emergency medical services contract to QualityMedical Transport. He said he received positive recommendations about the firm. He noted that the firm has received several awards and will back up the first aid squad volunteers.

Updegrave and Stallone also voted in favor of awarding the contract to Quality Medical Transport.

Gudaitis cast the only no vote and said he wanted an emergency medical services oversight committee in place.

Updegrave said she visited the first aid squad and was pleased to say that Quality Medical Transport can provide Jackson with the services that are needed. The times that the first aid squad will provide coverage will have to be worked out with representatives of Quality Medical Transport and she said she believes that can be done.

"I feel Quality Medical Transport deserves to be given a chance based on its background, its recommendations, its qualifications and its communication with the first aid squad," she said.

No date was given for when Quality Medical Transport will take over daytime responses in the community. At the present time daytime responses in Jackson are provided by MONOC.

Quality Medical Transport will provide what is referred to as Basic Life Support services when it is dispatched to a call. MONOC will continue to provide what is referred to as Advanced Life Support services when those services are required on a particular call for emergency medical services.

The council declined to institute a municipal emergency services unit that would have operated under the auspices of the Jackson Police Department.