The Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) will have higher service fees in 2021 as at the MOAD Board’s December meeting, the board approved increasing the base rate the district charges for ambulance runs.
Board President Don Lanning detailed the current base rates, which are $680 for advanced life support (ALS) response for emergency and non-emergency, $1,020 for ALS 2, and $540 for basic life support (BLS) emergency and non-emergency responses.
After some discussion the board approved a motion to increase each base rate by $100, beginning Jan. 1, 2021. All of the board members voted in favor of the increase.
In other business, Administrator Brian Opoka reported the Covid-19 vaccines will be released in four phases. Phase 1 is going to health care workers and residents and staff in skilled nursing facilities. EMS workers such as MOAD crews will be in Phase 1B. He expects the vaccine will be available to EMS workers in February.
* Opoka said he applied for a grant through the Gary Sinise Foundation to purchase power-cot lift systems for the ambulances for $57,000. He should know in January if it was approved or not.
* Board members approved employing Graves and Associates for the 2020 MOAD audit. The price is $6,420, which is an increase of $350 from the 2019 audit.
* The board approved the six-month 2021 proposed budget presented by Opoka, which includes income and expenses of $361,250.
* Opoka told that the MOAD medical director does not want to have the liability of blood draws at the Maries County Jail.
* Opoka said because of Covid-19, there will be a delay on the installation of flooring for the bedrooms and the office at the Vienna Base. It may be done next month.
* Opoka said at the November meeting they talked about getting embroidered items for the employees and giving them a certain amount of years of service money to spend. Instead of the embroidered items, which the employees already have quite a bit of, Office Manager Carla Butler purchased different items during the Black Friday sales and they had a drawing to give the items out to employees. Butler said they really liked this and were appreciative of what they received.
* Board member elections in April will include subdistrict 3, which currently is represented by Eileen Smith, and subdistrict 6, now represented by Victor Stratman.
* In the financial report, total income for November was $30,513.08 and total expenses were $43,896.29 for a net loss of $13,383.21. Of the income, $789.97 was Maries County taxes, $32.63 was Osage County taxes, $14,026.87 was from service fees, $15,642.21 was sales tax income, and $21.40 was interest income.
* The board approved payment of the bills.
* Opoka reported the November average response time for when crews are dispatched out until they arrive on the scene was 10.8 minutes. The average on-scene time was 19.3 minutes. The average arrival time at the hospital with the patient was 58 minutes.
* MOAD during November reported a total of 65 responses. Of the responses, 47 were in the Vienna zone, including 25 urgent emergencies, 21 dry runs, and one routine non-emergency, while 18 were in the Freeburg zone, including seven urgent emergencies, 10 dry runs, and one routine non-emergency.