BY TOM STEPHENS
Examiner Contributor
Following months of speculation and rumor, the Riverside Emergency Medical Service (EMS), which primarily serves the village of DeGraff and Pleasant Township, has announced that it will discontinue operations, effective Dec. 31, 2023.
Residents who live in those areas served by the Riverside EMS were notified of the decision via post this past week.
Economics played the lead role in the decision to dissolve the service. Riverside EMS simply does not have the money to continue to operate. Contracts with the villages of DeGraff and Quincy, as well as those with surrounding townships, have kept the Riverside EMS up and running for several decades, but have since dissipated as the villages and other local governments face their own financial burdens.
Chad Kean, one of three trustees for the Riverside EMS, said that the service needs about $40,000 in revenue per year to break even.
It expects to realize about that half sum in 2023, and even less in 2024, as Riverside EMS now has just two contracts, with the combined income from both coming in very well south of the $40,000 needed for basic operating expenses.
In the end, Kean said, there was no choice for the trustees but to close the doors at the end of the year.
Kean cited increased costs such as building and equipment maintenance, insurance, worker’s compensation, utilities, and fuel as factors in the decision retire the service, but emphasized that medications used by the squad are “by far our biggest expense.”
He noted that should the Riverside EMS transport a patient from DeGraff to Mary Rutan Hospital, Medicare and Medicaid cap repayments to the EMS at $200 per run, irrespective of the costs of medications or equipment used by the EMTs or paramedics during the transport.
These same medications can cost hundreds of dollars per dose, and most have a short shelf life, meaning that squads must discard and replace unused meds regularly, all of which comes out of the EMS budget.
The COVID pandemic also took a huge toll on the number available available EMTs and paramedics. Prior to the pandemic, the Riverside EMS had about 14 volunteers, but as of this month is down to about a half-dozen qualified personnel.
Having just six people on the roster makes it impossible for Riverside EMS to cover the area 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. A recent study showed that most squad runs in the covered area occur from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the same time that many of the volunteers are at work. Indian Lake EMS has been handling many calls in the Riverside EMS area for this reason.
Ohio requires that villages and townships must provide law enforcement and fire protection for their residents, but there is no such provision in the law for local governments requiring emergency medical services. In their letter, the trustees urged residents to form a joint Fire and EMS district to serve the area.
But unless a deal is struck, and quickly, residents in the Degraff/Quincy area will have to depend on “mutual aid” for EMS runs from the Indian Lake, West Liberty and Rosewood after Dec. 31.
Below is the transcript of the letter that was mailed by the Riverside EMS to residents in southwest Logan County:
Dear Riverside EMS Community,
We, as Members of Riverside EMS, are with regret notifying you that effective 12-31-2023, we have made the decision to cease operations due to lack of funding and members. We have struggled to come up with funding and volunteers to continue providing services. Riverside has explored alternative options such as community outreach, signage for new volunteers, sign-ups for part time staffed shifts and working with other agencies without success. The focus of Riverside EMS is to provide the best service possible to the residents and we feel that we cannot in the current funding and manpower situation.
Our recommendation would be that the surrounding townships and the village of DeGraff join forces with a joint Fire and EMS district to better serve you as the community. Riverside EMS has been providing volunteer services to the DeGraff and surrounding area for 40 years. As many know, volunteers are getting fewer and fewer, and many counties are facing similar situations. We thank you for allowing us to provide services to the area thus far and wish the village and surrounding areas success in the future.
Sincerely,
Riverside EMS Officers and Volunteers
A Riverside EMS squad is parked by the Mary Rutan Hospital emergency department. (RIVERSIDE EMS PHOTO)