DEER LODGE, MONT – Powell County and the Deer Lodge Medical Center (DLMC) have come to an agreement regarding Powell Emergency Medical Services, LLC (Powell EMS), previously the Powell County Ambulance Service.
That agreement includes language that Powell EMS will respond to calls throughout the county, will provide the Quick Response Units (QRUs) in the county with assistance for training and supplies, will provide budget and accounting activities to the county, will support call response of the Lincoln and Seeley Lake ambulance services and will host an annual community question and answer session.
On Nov. 26 the Powell County Commissioners met with representatives from DLMC where they read over a draft of the proposed contract for the center to render ambulance service in exchange for 14 mills of tax money. There were a few questions after which the commissioners signed the agreement and DLMC CEO Tony Pfaff said he would present it to the board of directors for DLMC that evening, expecting it to be well received.
The voters of Powell County approved the 14-mill levy last November as the ambulance service was suffering from decreased revenue and a lack of volunteers. Through the passage of the levy, DLMC agreed to take on the ambulance service and provide funds to supplement the tax money brought in.
This fall a citizen-led contingency of residents from northern areas of the county voiced concern that they were not receiving anything for the money they were paying into the levy. They questioned the legality of the levy and requested that the tax money from their districts be given to the QRU services rather than the supplies and training that were offered.
Throughout a series of meetings, those concerns were voiced and the commissioners advised that they would not be providing money to the QRUs, but that they would provide a donation to Lincoln Ambulance and possibly Seeley Lake as those two services respond to calls in the Ovando and Helmville area. Also, during previous meetings the wording of the contract between the county and DLMC has been constructed, which was recently finalized.
According to the contract into which both parties have entered, there are four separate sections. The first is entitled “Purpose.” It states that ambulance service will be provided with the goals of the 2018 levy and the effective date will retroactively be Nov. 1, 2019. It also states the various applicable state laws.
The second section entitled “Planning and Objectives” states that ambulance services in 2018 and earlier were provided by a private non-profit entity which informed the county and DLMC that year they would cease operations. At that point the DLMC expressed interest in continuing to provide ambulance service. The ambulance, DLMC and the county agreed that a tax levy would be required to provide funding.
The majority of the county voted a 14-mill levy into place in November 2018. The section also noted that DLMC entered into a separate agreement with the ambulance for the transfer of assets. Continuing on, the section states that the service area is Powell County. A proportionate amount of levy funds will be directed to ambulance service providers that respond and will provide QRUs with supplies and training as requested.
The third section of the agreement lists the roles and responsibilities of Powell County, the Powell County Sheriff’s Office, Powell EMS and the DLMC.
Powell County will be required to provide annual public review of the Powell EMS budget and activities, represent the county at meetings of the Powell EMS and DLMC regarding ambulance matters and distribute levy funds as collected twice a year.
The Sheriff’s Office duties include housing 911 dispatch services, dispatch emergency responders in accordance with 911 procedures and maps and provide statistics on ambulance calls/runs as needed.
Powell EMS has the most responsibilities as written in the agreement. They must respond to calls for assistance throughout the county as requested, transport patients to DLMC unless services are requested or provided by another medical center nearer, enter into agreements with Lincoln and Seeley Lake ambulance services to support their call response to the northern part of the county and provide an annual budget and accounting on EMS activity to Powell County.
Additional responsibilities include providing assistance with training and supplies to QRUs as needed and as the budget permits, compile financial and statistical data on EMS operation, provide an annual budget to the county for review, notify the county of all scheduled board meetings and host an annual community question and answer session on ambulance services.
The responsibilities of DLMC will be to provide quality oversight to Powell EMS through its board of directors and to notify Powell County of board meetings where ambulance service is an action item.
The fourth part of the contract discusses “Term and Termination” and it notes the agreement will be in effect for three years and shall renew in such length of periods. It can be terminated by either party with a 30-day notice and in 2022 will be understood to renew barring such termination. The agreement will also be reviewed annually and may be amended.
The final part also notes that if any provision of the agreement is invalid, unenforceable or illegal the remaining provisions should not be affected and the agreement will remain in place.
“I think we’re comfortable with the contract as it is now,” said Pfaff when Powell County Commissioner Dan Sager finished reading it out loud.
Pfaff said that he has already met with representatives from the QRUs in Avon and Elliston, but not yet with the Lincoln Ambulance. Attendee Thomas Applegate asked whether Seeley Lake has been notified they are part of the agreement. Sager said Pfaff will contact them to provide them with a donation for services they render in Powell County or contract with them.
It was noted that there was only one call last year where Seeley Lake responded in Powell County. Sager also said that while Lincoln Ambulance had been discussed regarding a donation for their services, the sheriff suggested Seeley Lake also be included.
Commissioner Doug Crachy clarified that Seeley Lake is not actually a party in the contract and commissioner Rem Mannix said that it would only be as needed.
Applegate also requested that a list of future training be provided and a list of the supplies available.
In regard to the contract overall, County Attorney Kathryn McEnery said that it was put together to try to address questions and based on what was presented. Mannix and the other commissioners lauded her effort and the understandable nature of the provisions outlined therein.
Attendee Fred Valiton said that it is up to the DLMC to get things in motion. McEnery replied they already have begun operating the ambulance. Sager pointed out that the northern part of the county will not get more than they ever have. While the agreement is not perfect, it will provide a benefit to everyone.
Valiton said that the discussions and concerns from the north end seemed to come about after he didn’t want to pay an extra $52 in taxes and it grew in proportion beyond what he expected. He said the northern areas of the county do not want to be forgotten. Mannix assured him they are not forgotten and will receive assistance through the agreement.
Pfaff noted that the ambulance will dispatch to anywhere in the county and Sager said that even if it is a long drive and no closer services are available it will be comforting to know that someone is on their way.
Valiton said that many times people in the northern part of the county do not know about meetings and that communication must improve.
Pfaff assured him that the QRUs will be notified of all ambulance meetings. He also said that the board of directors of the hospital will serve as the board for Powell EMS. Sager noted that traditionally there have been updates on the ambulance service during the public health board meetings which take place quarterly.
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