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Lee County OKs resolution supporting Lehi Care Ambulance Service operations, citing transfers and mutual aid
Summary
The Board accepted a resolution authorizing Lehi Care Ambulance Service to base units in Lee County for interfacility transfers and mutual aid. The company said it will not act as a primary 9‑1‑1 responder and aims to staff advanced life-support units when possible.
LEE COUNTY, Va. — The Lee County Board of Supervisors voted Feb. 18 to accept Resolution 25-001, formally supporting Lehi Care Ambulance Service's operation in parts of the county and enabling the company to seek licensure and station a unit locally.
Tommy Davis, operations manager for Lehi Care Ambulance Service, told the board the firm has provided interfacility transfers and nonemergency transports in the region since 1986 and is already running a temporary unit in the Phenix and Gap area. "We are not here to compete with your local 9‑1‑1 services," Davis said. "We are here primarily for those transfers... and we will provide mutual aid at the request of local agencies."
Board discussion touched on response times, staffing and billing. Davis said the company is attempting to staff units with advanced life-support (ALS) personnel — intermediate or paramedic level — and that the hospital had requested a unit be available within roughly 30 minutes for transfers when called. On billing, Davis said the company meets Medicare billing requirements and uses a "soft-billing" approach, working with patients on payments and generally not pursuing collections actions in court.
The board accepted Resolution 25-001 and authorized the county administrator to sign paperwork supporting the company’s licensure filing. Supervisors noted the company already has mutual-aid agreements with most area EMS providers and that the resolution clarifies the county's acceptance of Lehi Care's presence while preserving local agencies' primary-response role.
Next steps: The company will continue looking for a permanent base in Lee County while operating a temporary station; county staff will complete the paperwork required for the resolution and licensure process.
