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Board narrowly approves ProMed Ambulance staging after heated public debate
Summary
ProMed representatives asked for local operational approval to stage ambulances at Dickinson Community Hospital for interfacility transports. Hospital staff and local ambulance providers debated whether ProMed would duplicate or erode local service; the board voted to allow ProMed to operate a presence to support transports.
ProMed Ambulance representatives asked the Dickenson County Board of Supervisors for local operational approval to stage ambulances in the county to support Dickinson Community Hospital with interfacility and specialty transports.
John Sarton, speaking for ProMed, said the company did not intend to provide 911 coverage or replace existing providers but sought local authorization because state EMS rules require local operational approval before staging vehicles. ProMed owner Eddie Kaiser described situations when local services lacked available crews and said his company stepped in to complete multiple hospital transfers; he said ProMed staffs multiple 24-hour ALS crews and invested in equipment, including roughly $650,000 in new cardiac monitors.
Hospital emergency-services director Tanya Butts and local ambulance representatives described the county’s established dispatch protocol (Dickenson County ambulance service first; Clintwood Rescue second; ProMed would be third). But several hospital and local EMS staff told supervisors they sometimes could not complete all requested transfers because crews were committed elsewhere, leaving patients waiting. A paramedic testifying at the meeting said local crews cover a high volume of calls but can be out on other calls when transfers are requested.
Local ambulance operators warned supervisors that authorizing another company to operate in the county could undermine existing services. Tom McNutt, speaking as a family member of a local ambulance owner, said allowing ProMed into the county could put local providers out of business; he urged caution. ProMed’s representatives rebutted that the company primarily fills gaps and does not turn away 911 calls when dispatched elsewhere.
After extended public comment and stakeholder exchanges, a supervisor moved to permit ProMed to operate in the county (the motion was seconded). The board recorded that the motion passed (several supervisors voted in favor and the meeting record notes "We got 4 yeses"). The chairman said the approval authorized ProMed to stage a truck and receive local operational approval, not to open a staffed office or alter the hospital’s transport algorithm.
The board did not adopt new dispatch protocols; hospital staff said they will continue to call the county service first and escalate to other providers if local crews are unavailable. Supervisors asked staff to track call records and response times and suggested revisiting the arrangement if patterns show regular service gaps by existing providers.
Outcome: Board granted ProMed local operational authority to stage an ambulance in the county; board members signaled intent to monitor call logs and revisit if necessary.
