BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace voted Monday to pursue an agreement with Mercy Health Systems to provide ambulance service to the southeastern corner of the county.
"I think we've pretty well narrowed it down to this is the only option where we can have a turn-key operation ready by the end of the year," Kurt Moore, justice of the peace for District 13, said during Monday's meeting.
What’s next
Benton County’s Finance Committee will take up the discussion of the county’s rural ambulance service at the committee’s next meeting, set for 6 p.m. Aug. 6 in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
Bob Patterson, with Mercy, said the company is already licensed as an ambulance service provider in Arkansas, operating a service in Carroll County that could be used to provide coverage for Benton County on a temporary basis if the county system is not ready on Jan. 1.
The county's Public Safety Committee heard County Judge Bob Clinard and Fire Marshall Marc Trollinger present information on the volume of service and the estimated costs while detailing five options -- two that would see the county operate its own system, two that would have Mercy Health System provide personnel and management for a system after the county bought ambulances and equipment and located or built stations, and one that would have Lowell provide the service once that city has its own service running.
The justices are examining how to provide service to areas in the southeastern part of the county served by Springdale. Springdale has decided to limit ambulance service, provided by its Fire Department, to the area in the city. Fire Chief Mike Irwin said the city plans to end service outside its boundaries Dec. 31. He said the city is willing to work with Benton County past that date, but only if progress is being made to find a service provider.
County Judge Bob Clinard said the county is working on proposals for county ambulance service to cover the Hickory Creek area east of Lowell, which includes the bulk of the area now covered by Springdale. The county also is working on a county system to possibly provide service to all unincorporated areas except the area covered by the Northeast Benton County Fire Department.
Clinard said the county also has been discussing a contractual arrangement with Mercy Health to mirror both of the proposals for a county service. Contracting with Lowell for service to the Hickory Creek area is another option, he said. The county also asked Rogers if it would be interested in providing service to the Hickory Creek area, but Trollinger said Rogers officials indicated they were not interested in expanding their service area.
Clinard said the cost to the county will increase over the $71,000 the county is paying Springdale no matter what option is chosen. He said the options have different degrees of support from the county.
Clinard said very preliminary cost estimates put the county-owned option for all of the rural service areas at a startup cost of about $3.5 million and annual costs of about $700,000 after the first year. The Mercy proposal to cover all of the rural areas has an estimated first-year cost of about $4 million and an annual cost of about $1.2 million.
Providing coverage for just the Hickory Creek area by a county system would have first-year costs of about $830,000 and annual costs of $350,000. The Mercy proposal for the Hickory Creek coverage calls for about $1.1 million in first-year costs and $700,000 in annual costs. Lowell service to the Hickory Creek area would cost about $1 million in the first year and $650,000 annually after that, Clinard said.
NW News on 07/14/2015