Willows council OKs independent EMS assessment as Glenn Medical ER closure nears

The Willows City Council voted 5-0 on Sept. 9 to authorize the city manager to enter an agreement with the County of Glenn and the City of Orland to co-sponsor and co-fund an independent emergency medical services (EMS) assessment, council members and staff said, citing the imminent closure of Glenn Medical Center’s emergency department.

Willows Fire Chief Monk (Chief Munk) told the council the closure — publicly announced in a letter attached to the council packet and described in staff remarks — will materially increase ambulance transport times. He said the current local EMS system has remained largely unchanged for decades and is at risk of becoming insufficient without structural changes. Chief Monk described current staffing and resource arrangements: Enloe operates a single 24-hour ambulance for part of the county; Westside operates roughly one-and-a-half ambulances (one 24-hour unit plus a 12-hour unit). Chief Monk said the 24-hour Enloe car is subsidized by the City of Orland (he cited a figure of about $17,000 per month) and that the 12-hour unit is subsidized through a county/Orland arrangement (he referenced approximately $320,000 split between Glenn County and the City of Orland). He said ambulance operators lost about $300,000 last year but are on pace to break even this year; staff cautioned those figures are part of operator reporting and subject to audit.

Chief Monk outlined the operational impact: many local calls currently take 30 to 45 minutes from dispatch through return to service. With the Glenn Medical ER closure, he said transports to farther hospitals would make each call two-and-a-half to three hours, increasing reliance on mutual aid and reducing local ambulance availability. To identify sustainable models, Chief Monk urged a third-party study to lay out current costs, future demand, and alternative service models; he said Sierra Sacramento Valley (SSV) and its executive director have already been engaged and that similar studies are underway in neighboring counties.

The council’s motion directed staff to proceed with the assessment contract process. Council members heard from several colleagues who had discussed the issue earlier with county supervisors and praised the move to an independent, objective review. Chief Monk estimated a month to prepare and issue a request for proposals and roughly three to four months after selection for the consultant to produce a report.

Chief Monk also described near-term operational steps the Willows Fire Department is pursuing: the city has purchased EKG monitors and is working to stand up a nontransport ALS (advanced life support) capability — paramedic-level treatment without ambulance transport — in coordination with a medical director and nearby hospital partners; Chief Monk said the goal is to have that component running by the start of the new year.

Why it matters: Glenn Medical Center’s announced closure of its emergency department raises response-time and resource questions across the county. The independent study is intended to delineate options and cost models for ambulance coverage and to help the three sponsoring jurisdictions determine subsidy, staffing and governance approaches.

What’s next: Staff will prepare an RFP and return with contract documents; the three-jurisdiction group expects to select a consultant and receive a formal report within months of that selection. The council approved the resolution by voice vote, 5–0.