At a recent Hughes County Commissioners meeting, representatives from Mercy Hospital proposed taking over ambulance services for the county. The meeting saw a presentation by James Farris, Regional Manager of Mercy, Scott Tulane, CEO of Mercy, and Ron Thetford, Director of Plant Operations at Ada Mercy Hospital and current Mayor of Holdenville. Thetford was not attending in his capacity as mayor.

When asked about a contract dispute Mercy had with another county, CEO Scott Tulane outlined Mercy’s history with EMS services, explaining that in this other county, Mercy had relocated an ambulance from Konawa to Byng due to insufficient call volume. Tulane emphasized that low call volumes made it financially unsustainable to maintain 24-hour coverage in Konawa. He expressed an interest in discussing potential EMS services in Hughes County, noting that any agreement would guarantee 24-hour paramedic availability.

However, local attorney Andy Baca, representing Hughes County EMS, challenged Tulane’s framing. He argued that issues with the Konawa contract led to the relocation of the ambulance and questioned the level of satisfaction Mercy had with its current EMS services. Tulane responded that the situation in Konawa had improved, with access to a paramedic being a significant upgrade.

Ron Thetford supported the Mercy proposal, saying he had personally used the current EMS service and believed Mercy could offer more advanced healthcare options to the community. Thetford offered a hypothetical situation where his mother might need an ambulance, but the unit was stuck on a call in Wetumka. An EMS employee pointed out to Mr. Thetford that the people in Wetumka are just as important as those in Holdenville. This idea also raised concerns from Commissioner Coal Dilday, who pointed out that shifting to Mercy would effectively eliminate Hughes County EMS.

Questions about funding were also raised. Hughes County Treasurer Dawn Lindsey asked how a switch to Mercy would impact taxes. Chris Miller, Executive Director of Hughes County EMS, clarified that the 522 property tax, which funds Hughes County EMS, cannot be allocated to Mercy without a vote from the 522 board. He warned that without this tax funding, ambulance service would have to be paid out of the county’s general budget.

The commissioners agreed that the current budget could not support a shift to Mercy, with Dilday stating, “I can’t stomach spending any more money out of Hughes County into another county.” Commissioner Jim Lively echoed this sentiment, expressing satisfaction with the current EMS service and the financial strain a switch would place on the county. Hughes County EMS has also been recognized with several awards, including the American Heart Association’s Mission Lifeline Gold Plus Award for outstanding heart attack care.

No action was taken during the meeting, but commissioners reassured Mercy’s representatives that the community values the contributions to the local hospital, currently managed by Mercy. For now, Hughes County EMS will remain the county’s sole provider.