LAWRENCE COUNTY - OCTOBER 25, 2022 - The Lawrence County Commissioners voted to move forward with negotiations with IU Lifeline Ambulance Service for a one-year contract for a price of $400,000.
The Lawrence County 911 Board recommended the second option submitted by IU Lifeline Ambulance Service to provide 1 Advanced Life Support Ambulance, 2 Basic Life Support Ambulances and 1 Advanced Life Support Squad.
Plans are that the ambulance service the contract will become active by January 1, 2023.
Lawrence County has never had a contract with a provider to provide 911 ambulance service to the county residents.
Over the last four years, Lawrence County was left without ambulance coverage on numerous occassions with response times of 30 - 40 minutes before out of county ambulances to transport patients to local hospitals.
Lawrence County had two ambulance services that was put on the 911 dispatch rotation which included IU Lifeline, and Seals Ambulance service. However, both of those ambulace services provided contract services to their respective hospitals.
In December, St. Vincent Dunn Hospital will be closing and is expected to cause more concern over ambulance coverage.
" We have been working on this for a very long time, however we have hit roadblocks along the way," said Valarie Luchuear.
The county sought three bids for the ambulance contract but only two services submitted final bids.
The Shawswick Fire Terroitory will be starting an Basic Life Support Ambulance Service starting on January 1, 2023 in addition to the county based service.
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