When one dials 911 in Auburn, Auburn-based opperators often pick up the call. Auburn police officers and firefighters respond to those calls. However, those ambulances that are dispatched to emergencies often don’t come from Auburn.
The City of Auburn has an agreement in place with the East Alabama Medical Center to provide emergency response services to residents in the Auburn-Opelika community.
This agreement provides services to both cities and throughout Lee County with seven staffed ambulances each day and stations located in Auburn, Opelika and Smiths Station, according to East Alabama Medical Center Public Relations and Marketing Director John Atkinson.
Rising costs can be attributed to the funds necessary to maintain the service itself with the best care possible.
“The cost of one ambulance and the equipment needed to stock it runs about $300,000,” said Atkinson. “That does not include the cost to replace certain disposable supplies after each run, or the routine maintenance costs on the ambulance and employee salaries and benefits.”
Costs are also dependent on the treatment provided, if any is provided at all. This can be largely influenced by the insurance held by an individual.
“The cost of each 911 ALS transport (which is the majority of our emergency transports) varies based on treatment provided and distance driven,” said Atkinson. “Insurance ... typically covers about 80% of an ambulance transport, and we work with self-pay patients to help make the cost manageable.”
Despite the high costs of an ambulance service, members of the Auburn community are still satisfied with the current system of emergency transport that exists.
The City of Auburn Department of Public Safety defines one of its missions as “maintaining a quality emergency communication system to provide immediate response to citizen calls for service,’’ according to the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Auburn adopted Feb. 20, 2018.
The 2018 ETC Institute Citizen Survey for the City of Auburn found that 85% of residents surveyed were satisfied with the quality of the local ambulance service, compared to the national average assessment of 80%. This is a significant change among residents, only 70% of whom were satisfied with the ambulance services in 2013.
Of those surveyed in 2018, 39% reported being very satisfied with the quality of the local ambulance service, while only 3% reported being dissatisfied.
Citizens also assessed the quality of police, fire and ambulance services as being of higher importance and higher satisfaction, but needed continued emphasis.
The Fiscal Year 20 Emergency Response, Rescue and Ambulance Service Agreement was renewed on Oct. 1. This is an agreement between the City of Auburn and the East Alabama Healthcare Authority for the East Alabama Healthcare Authority to continue to provide ambulance service for the City of Auburn for the period Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020, according to a memorandum from Public Safety Director Bill James.
The East Alabama Healthcare Authority requested an operational increase of $26,000 each year to promote competitive employee recruitment and retention, as well as $30,000 to replace ambulances that are no longer functioning well, according to this memorandum.
The total cost of this contract is $375,476. This renewed agreement is also supported by the City of Opelika and the Lee County Commission.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
