Augusta is in the minority statewide in not being the designated EMS provider within its boundaries.
According to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health, Augusta-Richmond County is one of only 16 of 159 counties where a private provider controls the EMS zone.
That might have changed earlier this month when the Augusta Commission considered making a bid for the zone. The Georgia Department of Public Health reopened it briefly after provider Gold Cross bowed out. The move would have shifted control to the city, which could then contract out for the services, or provide them itself.
Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson likened it to Augusta controlling its own “destiny.”
Instead, the Augusta commission disagreed on the choice of a contract provider and declined to bid for the zone.
Statewide, six cities and 129 counties own their own EMS zones. When a 911 emergency medical call comes in, the cities and counties decide what to do.
When a call comes in, approximately 105 dispatch a city or county ambulance, sometimes one operated by a local hospital.
In addition, in 17 counties, a hospital owns all or part of the EMS zone, as University Hospital did in Augusta in the 1990s. The hospital might provide the ambulance or contract the service out, as University did with Rural/Metro EMS.
Atlanta-hospital-based Grady EMS owns and services part of the Fulton County EMS zone and is the contract provider in eight rural south Georgia counties.
Second only to Grady in the number of counties serviced under a contract is Ameripro EMS, the company selected by a procurement committee but rejected by the Augusta commission two weeks ago. Ameripro is the contracted provider in seven rural counties, but isn’t the zone provider in them.
Without Augusta bidding to own its zone, a regional EMS council has to choose between three private providers. Last week, the Region 6 EMS council zoning committee selected Central EMS, a provider owned by Priority Ambulance, a portfolio company owned by private equity firm Enhanced Healthcare Partners.
Central is the zone provider in Forsyth County but not the zone owner. Central isn’t zone or contract provider in any other Georgia city or county, but operates ambulance services in a few including Savannah.
Puckett EMS and National EMS, also owned by Priority, are zone providers in several counties. Puckett EMS has Cobb County. National is the zone provider in Rockdale and Morgan counties. In addition, National is the contracted provider for Catoosa, Clarke, Oconee and Newton counties.
Left in the mix is Martinez-based Gold Cross, which owns the Columbia County zone and is a contract provider in Jefferson County.
A handful of Georgia counties contract with nonprofits to provide ambulance service. Chatham County contracts with Chatham EMS, which operates Mercy Ambulance Service.
