EMS LEADERS HIRE CONSULTANT TO STUDY POSSIBLE MERGER

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BERRIEN SPRINGS, MI – A new ambulance service with a new name and mission could be coming for Berrien County residents. Representatives from Medic 1 and the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service held the second of two community meetings last week in Berrien Springs.
SMCAS Executive Director Brian Scribner and Medic 1 Executive Director Jason Wiley outlined the reasons why they’re considering the merger and what the next steps are. They’re hoping to hire a consultant in coming months to study the feasibility of making such a move.
When asked about how the decision is made to sent a basic or advanced life support crew to a call, Wiley said that 9-1-1 dispatch analyzes the situation when a call comes in. The dispatcher determines if it is a medical issue and then follows a protocol to determine whether a basic or advanced life support response is needed.
“We’re not really changing what we’ve promised to provide,” Wiley emphasized. “We will provide advanced life support when it’s needed and we will be more efficient in what we do.” He and Scribner described the proposed new operating model merging the two services as one using “dynamic staffing” that would give better coverage with less staff. Wiley noted that merging would allow them to expand their coverage area and more resources, opportunities and capabilities.
The current operating model with people working 24 hour shifts is not conducive to employee health. “It’s a matter of letting go of an outdated mindset,” he said, indicating the hours paramedics work as well as sending advanced life support (ALS) paramedics to all calls even when they’re not needed.
Wiley said that there’s a shortage of 2,000 paramedics in Michigan and both Medic 1 and SMCAS have felt that shortage. “This would bring a more efficient use of resources and help us implement best practices and deploy people when and where they’re needed,” he said. “We would have paramedics in SUV mobile units around the county to respond.”
Another aspect of the new model is being able to bring health care to people in the community. “We can partner with Corewell to check on patients who have been released from the hospital and save the hospital from the financial penalties that come when people are re-admitted within 30 days of release.”
Wiley said after the meeting that there are no plans to close down the SMCAS base outside of Niles or other “substations” in rural parts of Berrien and Cass Counties.
He added that they hope to add a substation in the Berrien Springs area to better serve the central county. The closest substation to Berrien Springs is on M-139 between Linco and Rockey Weed Roads. There’s been talk of having a substation at the BSOT public safety building or even the Berrien Township fire station on Range Line Road.
Wiley said one of the things that would have to be worked out in the merger talks is the funding. Medic 1 is funded on a per capita basis with member communities charged according to their population. SMCAS is primarily funded through an assessment process with properties charged a flat fee.
The proposed merger would bring Medic 1 and the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service together in one service. Both entities date back to the 1970s. The merger would have to be approved by all the municipal owners of the two services before becoming a reality, with the new entity called Southwest Michigan Mobile Health Care.