The Clark County Commissioners gave final approval Thursday on a three-month contract with Heartland Ambulance Service, LLC, as concerns about New Chapel EMS’s ability to cover the county have mounted in recent months.
Last month, the commissioners gave county health officials the go-ahead to secure an additional provider. The Clark County EMS Subcommittee recently voted to recommend Heartland.
New Chapel has been operating under a contract to cover the county which is set to expire at the end of 2025. New Chapel spokesperson S. Coy Travis said that contract hasn’t been rescinded nor a new one entered. The organization will be working with the county about whether there need to be changes to that. He said data collected over the next three months will help inform that.
The company has experienced recent staffing shortages, in part from the fallout of the investigation of former CEO Jamey Noel. He’s currently facing 31 felonies, including allegations he used New Chapel funds for personal purchases. He was suspended from the organization following his arrest in November, and terminated in January.
Clark County Health Officer Dr. Eric Yazel said officials had already been in talks with potential providers who could step in if New Chapel service was disrupted in light of the investigation. That included Heartland.
When it came time for the commissioners to vote Thursday, Heartland had staff in the area ready to mobilize quickly if the contract was approved. Clark County Emergency Management Director Gavan Hebner confirmed they started at 8 p.m. after the vote.
Clark County Commissioners President Bryan Glover said after the meeting he feels the county “is in a lot better position than we were,” he said.
Yazel said he knows New Chapel staff have been working hard, at times with long shifts. He also said the county will keep an eye on their workforce moving forward in case it’s further impacted by the recent changes.
“[It’s] not been our intent to…be vindictive towards them or hurt their operations,” he said. “Our goal is…we have to ensure there’s coverage in the county.”
The new plan means at least seven ambulances on the road in Clark County at all times, according to Hebner.
Under its contract, New Chapel was to provide six, but CEO Matt Owen said they’ve lately been able to provide an average of four. He took over after Noel was removed from the position.
Under the new agreement, Heartland will provide four Advanced Life Support ambulances 24 hours a day, each with a minimum of one paramedic and one EMT.
New Chapel will provide a minimum of two Basic Life Support Ambulances, but could provide more depending on staffing, Hebner said. Tri-Township Fire & Rescue will provide one ALS ambulance and the New Washington Volunteer Fire Department will have one ambulance part-time.
Calls will still come through Clark County 911, and be transferred to an automatic dispatch system Heartland uses. That will automatically identify and dispatch the closest ambulance that has the staffing level for the situation.
“So when a call comes out in Jeffersonville, whatever ambulance is closest and most appropriate for that call, that ambulance is going to…respond to that call,” Owen said after the meeting Thursday. “It adds more resources into the system. And…it is very comprehensive in tracking how the response moves forward over the 90 days.”
Yazel, the health officer, said he feels six ambulances is the “bare minimum” needed to cover Clark County.
“When you get below six, you start to run into some of the longer response times and issues that we've been seeing chronically with New Chapel,” he said earlier this week.
Clark County resident Kaitlin Blessitt told LPM News after the meeting she and others have been voicing concerns since at least January on the state of EMS in the county.
“It’s a shame that it has taken this long for them to implement something,” Blessitt said. “But I think that there’s been enough public outcry at this point to where they finally couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
She added she was “totally happy with the intervention. It needed to happen a long time ago.”
Under the contract terms, Heartland will be paid $130,000 for August, $110,000 for September and $103,000 for October.
New Chapel’s contract has been for $87,500 per month, or $1.05 million annually. Travis said the organization is in talks with the county on payment during the 90 days.
Owen said the changes bring needed support to the area, for service and to reduce strain on his staff. He said the company’s goal is for a stronger system for EMS in Clark County.
“We know that system needs to look different and we know there needs to be improvements, not just with New Chapel but system status countywide,” he said. “So I think that the next 90 days, while we’re not panicking trying to figure out how to cover every call, we need to be having those hard conversations with other public safety partners on what those changes look like and how we build a stronger system.”
County officials will be able to use the data collected over the next 90 days to get an accurate picture of what the need is to see what needs to change. They’ll also be looking at long-term EMS plans for the county.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
