HCEMS answers bond renewal questions

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, January 12 to vote on a Hughes County Medical Service (HCEMS) bond issue that was originally approve in January 2017. There have been some questions concerning this issue that Hughes County EMS Clinical Operations Supervisor Chris Miller recently took time to answer.

The HCEMS bond is the same as any other bond issue such as school bonds. The bond will levy a tax on property in an area (Hughes County) for a predetermined time that will pay back a loan for the entity (HCEMS) seeking the bond.

If approved, this renewal will NOT raise any taxes. It will provide HCEMS with another $950,000 by simply maintaining the current property tax rate. For a homeowner with property valued at $75,000, the cost is approximately $12 a year, or $1 a month. It you don’t own property, it costs nothing.

The 2017 bond issue provided $950,000 that was used to open new stations in Calvin and Wetumka that helped reduce their response times, which is vitally important in an emergency situation when every second counts. They also replaced three ambulances with new vehicles and upgraded modules that can be remounted, as well as new, self-loading cots and many, many other items.

If approved, the additional funds will be used to remodel the EMS station at the corner of N. Oak and E. 7th Streets. It will also be used to purchase new chassis for the ambulance modules, purchase a new Ford Transit Ambulance that has all of the supplies of the other three ambulances that can respond faster to treat a patient in an emergency, although it cannot transport a patient. It will also be used to maintain the two new stations as well as purchase other needed equipment and supplies.

Miller recently explained that HCEMS has responded to an increased number of calls this past year, noting that in 2019 the highest number of calls in a single month was 163 calls in March. In 2020 there were only two months that did were less than 163, with a new high of 202 requests in December. With the current Medicare/ Medicaid reimbursement rates they currently receive being as low as they are, HCEMS is challenged to keep up with this increasing call volume without some source of additional funding.

The EMS staff is proud of what they were able to accomplish with the first bond, and assure the public they will continue to seek grants and other additional funding that helps stretch these funds as far as possible as they do their very best to provide excellent, cutting edge medical services to anyone inside the boundaries of Hughes County.