Commission reaching out to Gallia as possible new partner

The Lawrence County Commissioners want the county prosecutor to seek a court order to retain a number of assets of the Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services district, should the district be dissolved.

The commissioners want to retain all equipment, the provider and billing numbers, computer software, pharmacy license, tower and computers.

“(It’s) to protect our citizens as the number one objective and the number two objective is to give us time,” said Commissioner Les Boggs, who introduced the motion at the commission’s Thursday meeting.

“We are not trying to be belligerent or uncooperative,” Boggs said. “But you have to look ahead at what could happen. If Jackson decides to pull out, if Athens decides to drop out, let’s face it …it could be dissolved. If we have a court order, it would give us time to set up (billing) numbers. Right now, we are dealing with the unknowns. This will give us some protection.”

During its regular Tuesday meeting the SEOEMS board heard a report from MedFlight, a Columbus-based emergency organization that did a limited review of its finances. Their findings showed that the projected cash collections based on data up through June 30 will come in more than a quarter-million dollars below the budget. However Lawrence County’s deficit was expected to be only $20,455.

With the addition of July and August figures, Commissioner Jason Stephens, who is also on the SEOEMS board, projects that patient cash collections for Lawrence County will bring in a close to $50,000 surplus. Also the district’s overdue bills are less than $50,000, an improvement over earlier accounts payable that were in the six figures.

“It is getting much better,” Stephens said. “If Athens County was pulling its weight or Jackson, it would be much better. Athens County is the weight that is holding SEOEMS down.”

With the district’s finances shaky and two of its three members saying they want out, the Lawrence County Commissioners formed an ad hoc committee to come up with contingency plans should SEOEMS cease to exist.

That committee reported last week that one option would be to retain SEOEMS while reaching out to other counties to join. With the western part of Gallia County contiguous to Lawrence, Stephens proposed Lawrence commissioners meet with Gallia’s on the possibility of that county becoming part of the ambulance district.

“That would enable us to keep the SEOEMS structure in place and service that part of Gallia County,” he said.