By Bayne Hughes
The Decatur Daily
DECATUR, Ala. 鈥� Decatur Morgan Hospital EMS appealed its $5,000 fine this week but chose not to appeal a 5-point penalty for not making required response times during the first quarter.
Carrie Wynn, Decatur Morgan Hospital service line director of Emergency Services, said after Tuesday鈥檚 monthly Ambulance Regulatory Board meeting that the hospital submitted an appeal letter to the city.
鈥淲e appealed the fine for financial purposes,鈥� Wynn said. 鈥淔inancially, everyone is struggling, so we asked them to waive the money but not the points.鈥�
In June, the ARB unanimously upheld the fine assessed by Chris Phillips, Decatur Fire & Rescue medical services coordinator, and approved the points penalty on his recommendation.
The ambulance service responded to 82% of its calls in the police jurisdiction within 13 minutes during the first three months of 2024, failing to meet the required 90%. The police jurisdiction is a 1 1/2-mile area around the city limits in which the city provides police, fire and EMS protection while enforcing building regulations.
The appeal now goes to the Decatur City Council.
This is the second time for the hospital to appeal a fine since starting EMS coverage in the city in 2021. The council granted a hospital appeal of a fine imposed when it didn鈥檛 meet response times requirements during the fourth quarter of 2022 in the police jurisdiction.
However, the council left the 5-point penalty on the hospital for this failure. Accumulating 26 points within two years would trigger a requirement that the EMS coordinator recommend revocation of an ambulance service鈥檚 license to operate, a decision that ultimately is up to the City Council. The points penalty imposed in June is under a new two-year cycle.
In related news, Decatur-Morgan Hospital EMS won the contract from the Morgan County 911 board in June to take over the county鈥檚 ambulance services, County 911 Director Jeanie Pharis said Wednesday.
The expansion, which includes Hartselle, Priceville, Falkville, Trinity and the county鈥檚 unincorporated areas, became effective July 1.
Pharis said the hospital and Lifeguard Ambulance Service 鈥� Alabama, which had held the contract since 2016, made presentations for the 911 board.
The board then held a second meeting so representatives of the two ambulance services could answer questions.
Since there鈥檚 no cost related to the bid, Pharis said the biggest differences in the two presentations were 鈥渢heir plans for coverage and the level of care. Decatur- Morgan has more advanced equipment and people, particularly with their critical care unit.鈥�
Wynn said the hospital added 10 more trucks and is working on adding more EMS personnel. She said they plan to run the Decatur and county services as two operations.
鈥淚f someone is assigned to the county, they will work in the county,鈥� Wynn said. 鈥淏ut each has the ability to help the other if necessary.鈥�
Tracy Thornton, Decatur Fire & Rescue fire chief, also serves as ARB chairman. He said the hospital has improved its response times in the police jurisdiction since the first quarter.
Thornton said he thinks the county expansion will also help the hospital improve its response times in the PJ because it鈥檚 already in the area. Almost all of the city鈥檚 police jurisdiction is on the west end of the city.
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