Rural Health District Seeking Proposals for EMS Services

The Johnson County Rural Health Care District Board, during a meeting Monday evening, discussed the pending contract with Buffalo EMS and voted to send out requests for proposals (RFP) for ambulance services in northern Johnson County.

Dave Harness, with Buffalo EMS, read a letter into the meeting record he sent to the board and city and county officials explaining his position on the proposed contract presented to him by the district.

Board member Jim Hicks, citing demands from Harness he feels are unacceptable, said in the interest of weighing all options, he wanted to make the motion to seek RFPs and search for an ambulance director.

Some board members feel the four-year contract asked by Harness is not acceptable because they don’t want to burden future district boards, as well as the amount of money he is asking for in the contract, due to projections of lesser revenue in the county, and not wanting to dip into reserves or ask for a higher mill levy to pay for it.

Harness did say he was willing to negotiate the length and financial aspects in the contract to make the situation work.

The board, in a split vote, decided to ask for RFPs for a new ambulance service provider and to continue negotiating with Buffalo EMS, as well as approving up to $500,000 from reserve funds for a new ambulance barn.