LAWRENCE COUNTY – The Lawrence County Council approved the addition of a line item in their own budget to include ambulance services, following the announced closure of Ascension St. Vincent Dunn Hospital.
This was a motion added during the meeting, that was unanimously approved by the council to include these services, something the county has not had in over 40 years.
With COVID-19 wrecking havoc on the mainframe of life, average response times and availability for ambulance services have drastically increased, some taking nearly 40 minutes at a time.
In the wake of response time increases, local volunteer fire departments have been the ones to tend to those in need. In some cases, the firefighters can only do so much without the ambulance service available for people in need, causing an issue with care and the preservation of life.
Under Indiana Code IC 16-31-5-1 Lawrence County, or City of Bedford and City of Mitchell, offers a chance to start their own ambulance service as needed. This is a big step to help provide the necessary aid community members need at a moments notice,
There are currently no contracts in place, however, the council felt it necessary to open the line for these services, should they be needed moving forward.
