November 27, 2024
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AMT wants Streator to contribute tax dollars to ambulance service

Firefighters union would like to enter talks, if city looks to compensate ambulance service

By Derek Barichello
Advanced Medical Transport is asking for the Streator City Council to compensate its company for its services.

Advanced Medical Transport is asking for the Streator City Council to compensate its company for its services. (Derek Barichello - dbarichello@shawmedia.com)

Representatives from Advanced Medical Transport, an ambulance service in Streator, will be requesting the city of Streator to provide financial support to its business.

Representatives are expected to speak with the council at the 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, meeting at City Hall, 204 S. Bloomington St.

AMT has provided the Streator area with 911 paramedic ambulance service since 2004. In that time, the city has not contracted with or compensated AMT for the services, said City Manager David Plyman.

AMT submitted a letter to Plyman on Thursday with the request to “provide ongoing financial support to create a sustainable relationship.” The letter didn’t say how much AMT would be seeking.

“Unfortunately our Streator operation is no longer sustainable due to several economic pressures,” AMT said in its letter. “Like many industries, we have seen dramatic, rising operational costs. Medical equipment, medical technology, and cost of labor increases have all provided immediate challenge.”

The new OSF Health Care Transportation Center in Streator with the King Care-A-Van parked in front of it.

The OSF King Care-A-Van is parked in front of OSF Center for Health-Streator's facility on Sixth Street, which houses an ambulance. OSF recently made an agreement with Stark County Ambulance to provide patient transfers to hospitals. AMT previously provided this service.

OSF Center for Health-Streator is required to have an ambulance on-hand for its standalone emergency room to transfer patients to hospitals. Recently OSF negotiated an agreement with Stark County Ambulance to service transfers to other hospitals, housing an ambulance within its facility on Sixth Street. AMT was handling these transfers prior to that agreement.

AMT said it responds to 3,580 calls annually within the city. The ambulance service is assisted on life-threatening calls by the Streator Fire Department.

“Evidence of our high-quality patient care is the 2020 cardiac arrest survival rate for Streator of 25%, which is three times the national average,” AMT said in its letter. “While we are proud of this statistic, we recognize it is a result of collaboration with the Streator Fire Department and our shared commitment to high quality patient care.”

In 2017, the Streator firefighters union said it wanted to start its own ambulance service within the city — and its union has in the past questioned response times and ambulance availability. The union has said it believes using firefighters to assist with AMT calls is a way the city already subsidizes the service.

“If AMT were to ask for tax money from the city to subsidize its service, we would like a seat at the table,” said Kurt Snow, presidents of the Streator Firefighters Union Local 56. “We’d like an opportunity to present a proposal and give the city a chance to look at all its options.”

When Duffy Ambulance Service, a private company in Pontiac closed, the Pontiac Fire Department provided emergency medical care for residents.

James Walker and Jacquelin Coons, of Advance Medical Transport, begin a demonstration of new donated CPR equipment to the Streator Fire Department. Josh Bradshaw, of AMT, sits in as the example patient.

James Walker and Jacquelin Coons, of Advance Medical Transport, begin a demonstration of new donated CPR equipment to the Streator Fire Department. Josh Bradshaw, of AMT, sits in as the example patient.