LIVERMORE FALLS – Franklin Memorial Hospital has new figures for a committee looking into choosing an ambulance service for towns served by Community Emergency Services.
The hospital is asking for two days to verify the figures before presenting them.
Jill Berry-Bowen and Kevin McGinnis of the hospital told the Tri-Town Ad-Hoc Ambulance Committee Tuesday afternoon that new revenue projections could mean a 20-percent savings to Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls.
Since they had not had time for a thorough review of the projects, the hospital asked for extra time to verify the figures.
“We’re in this for the long haul,” Berry-Bowen assured the committee in response to rumors that the hospital would cut service to the area immediately if things didn’t go its way.
“The service is wonderful; it’s a matter of financial crunch, “said committee chairwoman and Jay Town Manager Ruth Marden. “We hear a lot of positives about the service.”
Whether their news is good enough for the committee will be decided at the next meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, when members consider the hospital proposal along with others from United Ambulance of Lewiston and Med-Care of Mexico.
The committee has been searching for a solution to sharply increased subsidies since they were announced by the hospital last summer.
This year’s combined subsidy for the three towns was $27,000, and the one proposed for 2003-04 jumped to $142,000, more than five times the 2002-2003 amount.
In addition, it was suggested those figures would increase to $165,000 and $196,000 the following years.
Paul Gosselin of United and Dean Milligan of Med-Care gave background on their operations, noting each would need local housing, something else the committee has been considering.
Gosselin described his presentation as a work in progress with the same subsidy, $175,000, for three years. He stressed that the company’s goal is patient care, not to expand its services into new areas.
Milligan gave a detailed picture of his operation, which is a quasi-municipal, nonprofit group serving 11 communities in the Mexico area at a $10 per-capita cost.
If the three towns were to join, they would become part of one big company and would have representation on the board based on population.
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