County reviews Ascension supervising-hospital agreement; EMS leaders discuss independent agency option and staffing

County health officials presented a proposed supervising-hospital agreement with Ascension Health to the Clinton County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 for review; no final vote was requested. David presented the agreement and said it was similar to prior contracts. Steven, speaking for county EMS, said he would ask for removal of clause 9.2.3 and noted that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) has offered the county an opportunity to apply for a waiver to operate as an independent EMS agency without a supervising hospital. "We would function very successfully independently," Steven said. Staff agreed to revise the agreement language and have legal review before bringing it back to the board at a future meeting. The meeting also included staffing updates for emergency medical services: one EMT, Nissa Moore, passed her paramedic exam and is an Indiana-licensed paramedic; EMS leadership said it is not appropriate to keep a paramedic at an EMT pay grade and that hires would reflect licensure levels. The EMS director said the department has had an abundance of PRN applicants and planned to interview about 15 EMTs for PRN positions in the coming week; he said interviews could proceed but that formal job offers would be preceded by budgetary review and coordination with county counsel. No formal motion or vote was recorded on the Ascension agreement at the Sept. 2 meeting; staff will send a revised draft for counsel review and return the item for consideration at a later meeting.