T-L Photo/J.D. LONG Harrison Community Hospital, part of the WVU Medicine system, says it will continue its backup ambulance service while working with other county entities.

CADIZ — Emergency medical service personnel are looking to the future and the possibility that WVU Medicine Harrison Community Hospital may eventually decide to discontinue its backup ambulance service.

Despite their sense of uncertainty, though, WVU Medicine officials say no decision has been made on the matter and stress that the system continues to provide the service.

A special meeting called by county EMS providers was held inside the Harrison County commissioners’ office Tuesday evening to discuss what to do in the event that the hospital opts not to renew its contract for backup ambulance service to the county in April 2023.

The contract was renewed this past April, but Commissioner Don Bethel said WVU Medicine officials told commissioners in the fall that the hospital would not renew its contract in April 2023.

EMS Capt. Adam Reardon of Bowerston and Mark Marchetta of Hopedale attended the Tuesday meeting along with representatives from all 12 county fire departments.

“Morgantown is the only other facility that they have that runs ambulances,” Bethel said of WVU Medicine. “They’re trying to get out of the business. They don’t want to be in the ambulance business.”

No one from HCH was at Tuesday’s special meeting, and hospital spokeswoman Lindsay Dowdle stated that the hospital has not had further discussion of the matter since November.

Bethel, commenting on the subject after Wednesday’s weekly commission meeting, said HCH gave no specific reason for not wanting to renew the contract but indicated the facility wanted to be out of the ambulance business in 12-18 months.

“We’re open to any solutions or any possible solutions to that hole,” Bethel said. “That gap that needs to be filled.”

Bethel noted that county residents pay taxes to fund the backup ambulance service, which responds to emergencies when volunteer fire departments are unable to do so. The hospital is paid $367,156 a year by the county to provide the service, according to the commissioiners’ office.

Reardon proposed Tuesday that Bowerston’s fire department be “one of the backups” for county service at a cost of $150,000 per year for 12 hours per day, seven days a week. He said he hoped that another entity would come and join them to help provide that service if the hospital withdraws.

Reason made it clear that they were only asking for less than half of what the county pays HCH. Reardon wanted to leave the remainder of the funding for another agency to participate.

Reardon said the commissioners wished for Bowerston to have the support of the fireman’s association. A vote of its members Tuesday came down 8-3 in support of Bowerston providing backup. One department abstained, but Reardon declined to say which one.

Marchetta spoke briefly on Thursday and said the Silver Spade Ambulance Service could not provide that backup service because it would not be fair to the communities of that pay for their service through taxes while others would be getting it without paying those same taxes. Silver Spade serves Cadiz, Green and Rumley townships and the villages of Hopedale, Jewett and Cadiz.

“The commissioners have been very supportive of it,” Reardon said. “We’re really the only agency that has stepped up with a plan. They wanted us to have the support of the fireman’s association, which is what that meeting was for.”

Reardon said improvements are being made to the Bowerston fire station, basically doubling the space. Three full bays have been added with a training room and a community hall still to come. Office space with more storage and a full kitchen were also added, and he said it should all be completed by the end of June.

“A large part of this renovation was preparing for the ability to staff this building,” Reardon said.

Bowerston currently has two ambulances with one staffed and the other for volunteer services. He said the volunteers are only paid for the calls they respond to.

Commissioner Paul Coffland recognized, in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Bowerston’s renovations and how the department has stepped up to make the offer. But he also noted that it could take Bowerston too long to answer certain calls due to location and felt that was a big drawback.

“Obviously, this can’t be the only answer. This has got to be a first step because if someone in Harrisville has an emergency, it’s going to take Bowerston 40 minutes to get there,” Coffland said. “That’s unacceptable.”

Dowdle released a statement on behalf of Harrison Community Hospital, clarifying that the facility continues to provide backup service and that no decision to discontinue that has been made.

“It remains the goal and commitment of Harrison Community Hospital to ensure that the residents of Harrison County receive quality care, including emergency services. As such, it is important that accurate information is shared regarding the status of Harrison Community Hospital’s ambulance and 911 services. In November, representatives of Harrison Community Hospital attended a small group meeting to review concerns related to emergency medical services within the county. This meeting included leadership of Harrison Community Hospital, key leaders within the EMS community, and Commissioner Don Bethel.

“During the meeting, it was shared that Harrison Community Hospital would be unlikely to continue providing the ambulance services as the county’s back-up provider, as the hospital’s EMS service continues to realize a loss, even with the provided county subsidy. Furthermore, timing related to exiting as the backup provider was discussed to be no sooner than 2023; however, a decision has not been made.

“At this meeting, it was determined that further strategic planning would follow the conclusion of the meeting. Harrison Community Hospital, nor its leadership, have been involved in any additional conversations regarding EMS services, nor did any representative of Harrison Community Hospital attend the May 10 meeting, and were surprised to see the media coverage this week surrounding the topic.

“Harrison Community Hospital continues to provide the EMS services today and will continue to be a partner in quality care. We are invested in our community and will be involved in any transition planning related to this, or any service that may impact the community we serve.”

David Hacker, human resources director for HCH, also commented via email: “WVU Medicine – Harrison Community Hospital is invested in our community and will continue to support quality care in the communities we serve. We will continue to support the ongoing emergency medical services (EMS) and work with the EMS and county leadership on any plan to improve the emergency medical services provided to Harrison County residents.”