Sometimes positive changes are made by choice. Sometimes those changes are sparked by necessity. Ultimately it makes no difference as long as the outcome is beneficial.

That certainly seems to be the case with the establishment of the Lawrence County Emergency Medical Services system.

The county was forced to create its own service late last year after Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services disbanded after more than three decades of service. The county had very little time to prepare for this change and essentially had to do it on the fly.

But, after reflecting on its first year, county and ambulance service officials agree that it has been a tremendous success.

The three-county ambulance system was always a concern because of the fear that Lawrence Countians were subsidizing ambulance service in Athens and Jackson counties. This belief has been strengthened in recent months as audit reports appear to show that our county was paying more than its fair share.

The ambulance service is not — and will likely never be — self-sufficient. But that does not mean it isn’t successful.

County leaders determined that providing quality ambulance service to its residents was a top priority and they found a way to do so with the existing tax structure.

This was a positive for 2011 and we hope to see continued improvement next year.