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Orland council agrees to short-term aid, seeks county partner to shore up Westside Ambulance
Summary
Facing steep reimbursement shortfalls and rising costs, Westside Ambulance asked Orland for immediate monthly support; council moved to split a $17,000 monthly subsidy between Measure A and Measure J for a limited period and to form an ad-hoc city–county committee to pursue longer-term solutions.
The Orland City Council voted to provide short-term financial support to Westside Ambulance and asked staff to pursue a joint city–county approach for a lasting fix. The council’s motion, made by a council member and seconded by the mayor, proposed splitting a $17,000 monthly support package 50/50 between Measure A and Measure J and extending that support while the parties pursue county participation and structural reforms.
The request followed a detailed presentation from Scott Schmidmaker, a Westside board member, who told the council the nonprofit ambulance provider has been losing money and is at risk of becoming insolvent. "We're afloat, but our bank account was like $184,000 lost in the last 18 months," Schmidmaker said, explaining that low Medicaid/Medi-Cal and…
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