A regional state committee has recommended Central EMS as designated zone provider in Augusta-Richmond County over longtime local provider Gold Cross.
Central, Gold Cross and Amerimed were the three EMS companies that bid to own the Augusta “zone,” the license to respond to all emergency medical calls. The committee ranked Central highest, followed by Amerimed and then Gold Cross.
The Feb. 15 meeting of the Region 6 EMS Council zoning committee potentially ends a decade-long disagreement between Augusta and its EMS provider. It was contentious at times, with commissioners speaking out for and against Gold Cross, the provider for nearly 20 years. Committee members voiced concerns about response times during Gold Cross Vice President Steven Vincent’s presentation.
The meeting also leaves an unknown, as Central has not proposed the amount of local subsidy it will require.
Who are Central EMS?
Central EMS is owned by Priority Ambulance, which operates in 13 states, and serves serves Savannah, Macon, Statesboro, Newnan and Forsyth County, said Gary Coker, who founded Central in 1983. The company has approximately 800 ambulances, including 160 in Georgia, and manufactures its own ambulances, which cuts back on supply-chain issues, he said.
Central could take on Augusta immediately because “we’ve got the financial stability to be able to do this type of thing,” and will show its audited financial statements to prove it, Coker said.
Central is proposing eight dedicated ambulances 24 hours a day and another six during peak times, plus three quick-response vehicles, he said. The vehicles won’t be pulled out of service to provide non-emergency transports, he said.
Issues over the amount Augusta subsidizes its provider have plagued the city’s relationship with Gold Cross. A majority of commissioners have opposed increasing the current $650,000 subsidy, citing response time concerns.
Now the chosen provider, subject to regional council and state approval, Central has not yet proposed a subsidy. It seeks a 10% profit margin but lacks sufficient information to set the subsidy amount, Coker said.
“I can’t tie it to a number until I have better data,” he told the committee. “That’s why we did not bid on the city of Augusta. There’s too many variables.”
Central’s goal is to staff all Augusta ambulances with the higher-trained paramedics but staffing shortages common everywhere are an issue, he said. However, Central sponsors several training academies to maintain a skilled workforce.
MORE: Three commissioners who missed EMS meeting speak out
Response times, profit margins
After the committee decision, Coker said the company intends to address response time issues.
“First of all, we’re happy to be selected. What we want to do is provide a high quality, good ambulance service for the citizens of Augusta and Richmond County. That will include some response time challenges that are current that we want to make improvements on,” he said.
The 10% profit margin is “a reasonable return for the investors in my company” but Coker said he had no idea what subsidy amount would ensure that.
It won’t be clear “until I negotiate with the county which is what we’ll do and we’ll come to the exact numbers for them,” he said.
Coker was up-front about the need for EMS funding beyond the insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and self-paid payments an EMS provider can collect.
“I can’t work in the negative,” he said.
Coker blamed ongoing shortcomings in Augusta on a lack of funding.
“Ambulance service is very expensive,” he said. “I think it’s the commission’s fault because they didn’t provide the money,” he said.
Not everything in the Central-Priority picture is rosy. Last year the Covington City Council took issue with the number of ambulances and staff the provider kept on hand in the small city.
Priority was operating under a contract with Piedmont Newton Hospital, which owns the zone but isn’t being paid a subsidy. Coker cited COVID and nationwide paramedic shortages to Covington officials.
Committee questioned Gold Cross claims
After the decision, Vincent said the committee was against Gold Cross. “This has been similar to the Augusta Commission (which) for the last year-and-a-half has been very anti-Gold Cross, he said. “It’s been very contentious in these (EMS) meetings too.”
In his presentation to the committee Wednesday, Vincent said Gold Cross already “knows what Augusta needs” and has access to additional ambulances – from other counties, hospitals, Southstar EMS, which it purchased last year, and other providers – beyond the eight it will reserve for Augusta.
Committee members questioned Vincent about response times. The committee obtained a stack of complaints about the service from city officials last year.
“We’ve had several sets of data presented to us and every one of them didn’t meet the zoning requirements,” said Courtney Terwilliger, director of Emanuel County EMS.
Vincent said the zone requirements were why it gave up the state license last month. At the time, it was presented as Gold Cross giving up on doing business with Augusta.
“I just want to make sure I understand; you actually surrendered the zone because the state had no way to modify the zone?” asked committee member and retired regional EMS director Lawanna Mercer-Cobb.
“That’s part of it,” Vincent said.
The other part he said was the low subsidy Gold Cross received in Richmond County. Under the new month-to-month contract, the additional funds are improving response times, he said. The need has become clearer as other proposers demand significantly higher subsidies, he said.
MORE: Emails show Gold Cross EMS tried to help Augusta save zone
Ambulance disputes not over yet
Gold Cross surrendered the zone designation last month just as the Augusta Commission rejected Gold Cross’s contract proposal. Despite dropping the license, the company bid to become Augusta’s contracted provider should Augusta win the zone Wednesday. But the city didn’t bid for the zone after failing to find a contract provider, passing on both the selected Ameripro Health as well as Gold Cross.
Tuesday, Gold Cross filed a bid protest against the city, saying the Columbia County company was passed over unfairly. The protest said Gold Cross was not getting credit for being an Augusta company, that 911 Director Daniel Dunlap “actively voted” against Gold Cross, that Ameripro was short a month of the five years’ experience Augusta required and other factors.
“Gold Cross received high marks on qualifications and experience and then significantly low on other items without justification,” the protest said.
‘We have to move forward’
If everything goes as planned, negotiations with Central will result in a contract and subsidy. Augusta will cancel the $150,000 monthly month-to-month contract it’s in with Gold Cross and Central will be the provider.
Two commissioners, Brandon Garrett and Wayne Guilfoyle spoke in favor of Gold Cross Wednesday while Commissioner Bobby Williams was against, citing the low response times.
Mayor Garnett Johnson said after the decision he was disappointed Augusta was not able to solve its EMS quandary on its own – by winning the zone and contracting with a city-chosen provider.
“Central EMS has been recommended for the zone so we have to move forward for the sake of our city, and see how we can establish a contract with them so we can provide response times that’s needed in our city.”
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
