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Commissioners approve $30,000 one‑time Hemingway Fund grant and $800/month support for county transport partner
Summary
The board agreed to provide a $30,000 one-time contribution from the Hemingway Fund and to increase monthly payments by $800 to support a growing nonemergency transport provider that serves county health-care facilities; the recurring increase will be recorded as a receivable from the Hemingway Fund.
Cheshire County commissioners approved financing to support a private nonemergency medical transport provider that county staff said has expanded rapidly and is increasingly relied on for ambulatory and skilled-nursing transports.
County staff introduced Scott, the CEO of SmartBuy (presented as the transport partner), who described growth from two vans to six, an average of 45–50 transports per day and a recent award chance to carry roughly 300 additional monthly riders through a Humana Medicare Advantage benefit. Scott said the operation runs 24/7, averages heavy mileage and has staffing needs the company cannot meet without additional support.
Scott asked the county for two levels of help: a one-time startup contribution of $30,000 and an ongoing $800-per-month increase to the county’s monthly payment to the provider. County finance staff (Cheryl) and commissioners discussed funding the one-time amount from the Hemingway Fund, which staff said had a balance of about $132,000; using $30,000 would drop it to roughly $102,000, and commissioners noted the fund routinely receives an annual disbursement of about $26,000.
A commissioner moved to provide the one-time $30,000 from the Hemingway Fund and to increase the monthly payment by $800, leaving implementation details to county staff. The motion was seconded and passed on aye votes from the commissioners present. County staff said the monthly payment will be set up as a receivable due from the Hemingway Fund and transferred periodically; the one-time check will be issued from Hemingway as well.
Commissioners and staff discussed risks including reimbursement rates, staffing availability and coordination with Cheshire Medical Center and Cheshire EMS. Commissioners said they supported the funding because the partner reduces strain on ambulances and provides rural access; staff will continue negotiations and handle accounting entries to reflect the Hemingway Fund reimbursement plan.
