Ambulance Future Uncertain
"hudson-siren" by jan_krutisch is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
NOTE: This article was modified on June 24 to reflect a correction requested by CREMS. The original article was published on June 20.
By Allison Sayer
June 30 will be the last day that Delta Medical Transport (DMT) is under contract to provide ambulance service to the Copper Valley. The service was managed through Cross Road Health Ministries (CRHM), which stated in a May 1 press release that despite good response times and lifesaving care from DMT staff, “CRHM can no longer pay for these services without severely damaging the rest of our community services. CRHM has sought financial help from the state of Alaska and other organizations. The state of Alaska granted CRHM enough funding to continue the services through June 30, 2024, but as of the writing of this article, there has been no long-term commitment for the necessary funds.”
I spoke with Jolene Nashlund, the Copper River EMS (CREMS) administrator, about her efforts to help CREMS fill the role of ambulance provider. CREMS currently provides volunteer first responders to the scene of emergencies to stabilize patients. However, they do not provide ambulance transport.
Nashlund stated that CREMS possesses an ambulance, but does not have the funding to provide insurance for ambulance service. More importantly, CREMS may not be able to provide 24/7 ambulance service with an all volunteer team.
[NOTE: In a June 24 conversation, Nashlund stated that CREMS had been paying insurance premiums for both its ambulances while they were not in service. Although CREMS did need to purchase additional insurance to operate ambulance service in the area, the major financial barrier to providing that service was a budget for paid staff. The additional insurance alone was not the cost prohibitive factor in moving forward with providing ambulance service.]
“I’m going to talk to everyone I can about why we need ambulance service here,” said Nashlund. She says it would not be feasible for CREMS to operate under a budget as large as that of DMT. “What they had was not affordable for us. We can still band together and do things on a smaller scale and make it work.”
Fundraising efforts are ongoing to help secure insurance and at least one paid staff member. Local residents may already have found a mass mailing in their mailboxes seeking donations. “We don’t want taxation,” Nashlund said, “We can take care of ourselves. Most of us think this is an essential service. We need to pull from within.”
Nashlund is also seeking funding from the state and other grants, although she shared any prospective outside funding would not arrive within an immediate timeframe. Ambulance services are often paid for in other communities by property taxes.
Nashlund is working to secure commitments from volunteers to cover shifts as drivers and medics through July. The level of commitment is “not awesome yet,” she said, “but we’re building on it.”
CREMS is seeking new volunteers. Drivers do not have to have any medical certification, and CREMS will offer orientations for new drivers soon at dates TBD. ETTs and EMTs are highly encouraged to volunteer. Nashlund encouraged anyone who would like to help to reach out; even laundry service is appreciated.
For new residents and visitors, it’s important to remember that any ambulance responding to a call in the Copper Valley is not whisking patients a few blocks away to an advanced trauma unit. Patients needing a high level of care are driven to a rendezvous with a plane or helicopter. If a patient is “non emergent but needs to be stabilized,” they can be brought to Copper River Native Association (CRNA) during CRNA’s open hours. CRNA staff may either treat the patient or transport them to an airfield (or both). Private individuals will still be able to drive themselves or each other to meet an aircraft.
Nashlund reminded me to renew my flight insurance coverage, which I did. Flight insurance covers the cost of air transport to advanced medical care, which may not be covered by insurance.
CRNA has been expanding its hours, which could help with this oncoming shortfall in medical care. Urgent care is now open until 6:00 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and is open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The urgent care phone number is 822-8809. Dial 911 in an emergency.
Nashlund is passionate about what she is trying to accomplish. With emotion, she said, “We have an ambulance. My son has needed it twice. This is something I’m very passionate about. Without having them there at that right time, that would have been devastation for me and my family. I'm going to do what I can.”
CREMS executive director Matt Lorenz had no comment at press time. For current updates, go to the Copper River EMS webpage: copperriverems.com