The Augusta commission and Gold Cross EMS reached an agreement Wednesday Jan. 25 for temporary ambulance service on a month-to-month basis.
The state of Georgia now will decide who is eligible to handle the zone in Richmond County on a permanent basis.
After a vote failed on Jan. 24 to enter into a long term contract with Gold Cross EMS, the provider resigned from the zone with the state Board of Health, which set into motion having the state government take over the process that would allow for an ambulance provider in Richmond County.
The fact that Gold Cross EMS tendered its resignation gave longtime Procurement Department Director Geri Sams the ability to become involved. Sams, after sitting through an hour-long meeting, told commissioners that she could remedy the matter immediately.
MORE: Column: ‘HURRY call Uber, Grandma’s having a heart attack’
“If you give me ten minutes, I can work out an agreement with them,” Sams said.
After discussing the matter with Gold Cross Vice President Steven Vincent and city attorney Wayne Brown, the motion to accept Sams’ proposal passed unanimously.
Gold Cross EMS will be paid $250,000 this month and $150,000 a month until the matter is finally resolved.
However, at this point, because Gold Cross has officially resigned and turned the zone back to the state, the agreement is only temporary, and ambulance service for Augusta/Richmond County will be up for bid within the next 60 days, according to city attorney Brown.
District 3 Commissioner Catherine McKnight says that Sams, who has worked for the procurement department for two decades, should be given accolades by standing up and getting an agreement put together when the city attorney and administrator failed to do such for over a year.
“Ms. Sams is a professional, and she did her job when called on. Hopefully, this will move forward to more permanent discussions, but I cannot say enough good things about Geri Sams,” McKnight said.
MORE: Vote on Gold Cross EMS fails, and ambulance service resigns
District 4 Commissioner Al Mason also lauded Sams for her work ethic and attention to detail.
“She is one of those people who doesn’t get the recognition, maybe, but when we allow her to do her job, she does it, no questions,” Mason said.
Meanwhile, Vincent says that while the impasse has not been avoided completely, he is confident in future negotiations.
“This is a good stop-gap measure. We never wanted to leave Augusta. This is our home,” Vincent said.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
