MEDIC 1 AND SMCAS CONTINUE MERGER DISCUSSIONS

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BERRIEN SPRINGS – People will get the chance to learn more about a proposed merger of the area’s two primary ambulance services at a community meeting March 13 at the Berrien Springs/Oronoko Township Public Safety Building. The meeting will start at 4 p.m. at the public safety building on Snow Road just outside of Berrien Springs.
This will be the second community meeting organized by the Medic 1 and Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service (SMCAS). SMCAS Executive Director Brian Scribner first expressed hope for a merger at a Buchanan City Commission meeting last fall. “I think it would be good and be more efficient, helping us put resources where they’re needed.” Medic 1 currently covers the northern and central parts of Berrien County, while SMCAS serves the Niles and Buchanan areas plus parts of Cass County.
Both services are publicly funded, albeit in different ways. While SMCAS member municipalities have residents pay a per parcel levy, Medic 1 charges member municipalities on a per capita basis which the governments pay out of their general funds without directly charging residents.
He said a related issue both services are looking at is promoting “community” paramedic programs where services partner with hospitals to have paramedics go out in the community and check on people recently released from hospitals.
More recently, Medic 1 Executive Director Jason Wiley talked about the merger as well as other changes coming to that service at a Berrien Township Board meeting. Wiley noted that many ambulance services around the country haven’t changed how they operate in nearly 50 years.
“Ambulance services have been very reactionary in nature in how they’re funded and how they operate,” he said. “We’ve had a static system with an advanced life support (ALS) truck responding to all calls when advanced life support isn’t always needed. It’s silly to send ALS resources 100 percent of time when they’re only needed 20 percent of the time.”
He gave examples of places in other parts of the country where they have paramedics in mobile units respond only when and where they’re needed. “That’s where the future of services is going and we’re behind,” he said.
Wiley acknowledged that it will take some additional funding for start up costs to change to the new hybrid system, such as for four new SUV type vehicles and new equipment. “The change is not going to be easy or cheap,” he said. “An additional $1 or $2 per capita will give us a boost to change how we operate.”
Questions raised at that meeting included whether the additional $1 or $2 per capita charge would be a one time charge or a permanent additional fee, as well as where the site of a new central county substation would be. At least one person questioned not having advanced life support services on every call.
Any merger would have to be approved by the owner municipalities of both services. Both Scribner and Wiley have said the next step after the community meetings will be to hire a consultant to help draft specific merger plans.