NORTHFIELD — While National EMS Week is coming to the end, the Northfield EMS feasibility study is only just beginning.
Using a $40,000 grant through the state Community Compact Cabinet’s Efficiency and Regionalization grant program, Northfield EMS will work with the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management on the study starting Monday. The study will consider whether Northfield EMS should operate as a regional district, potentially adding more towns to its coverage area, or whether it should continue with its current model, under which it serves Northfield, Bernardston and Erving.
While he said he is unsure how the study might progress over the next six to eight months, Northfield EMS Chief Mark Fortier said the goal is “to determine the true costs” of operating a regional organization.
“I would assume the first step would be to reach out to our existing partners to coordinate with them, reach out to other communities to see if they want to participate,” Fortier said, adding that the feasibility study will “determine potential models of operation, whether it’s regionalized where everyone has a sort of ownership of the organization, or the town of Northfield maintains ownership and assesses communities that want to participate.
“We don’t know until we ask the questions whether we have a better option than what we’re doing and whether what we’re doing will work long-term,” Fortier continued. “Time will tell.”
The study comes at a time when, according to Fortier, who is a member of the Franklin County Emergency Medical Services Committee, “the way we’ve always provided EMS in Franklin County for a lot of years is on the verge of failure.” Many towns, he explained, do not have contracts with a particular ambulance service and simply contact the closest EMS organization when the need arises.
“If you do not have a contract with an ambulance service, there are costs associated with bringing a community in when you’re not contracted to do so,” he explained. “Yes, we’re able to bill a patient, but in the overall scheme of EMS, reimbursement is not covering the cost of services.”
A recent development that is causing discussion of ambulance services to surface in smaller towns relates to the service provided by American Medical Response (AMR).
“AMR has come out publicly and said that they are in service with the city of Greenfield and the hospital, and they don’t have contracts with anyone else,” Fortier explained.
Currently, Franklin County communities that have non-contractual agreements with AMR include Leyden, Montague, Gill and Shelburne, as discussed in a recent Gill Selectboard meeting. The Franklin County EMS Committee is presenting these towns with two options that would alleviate pressure on surrounding EMS agencies.
The first would institute a $350 fee per request for service charged directly to municipalities without contracts. The second option merely prompts towns without contracts to enter a contract with an ambulance service.
In Northfield, Fortier feels he has a successful model that has been generating more revenue and has developed a more solid staff structure.
“We do have some communities looking at us saying, ‘What are they doing?’” Fortier said.
Between July 1, 2021 and the end of February, billing patients brought Northfield EMS roughly $136,000 for Northfield responses, $105,000 for Bernardston responses and $33,000 for Erving responses. Additionally, Bernardston provides Northfield EMS with $10,000 per year that supports capital expenses, primarily a new ambulance, Fortier explained. Erving pays a $15,000 fee each year.
These figures were detailed in contracts with Erving and Bernardston that were renewed during Tuesday’s Selectboard meeting. Fortier and Selectboard Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said the contracts are largely the same as the previous arrangements, but with different dates that will take the towns through the end of fiscal year 2023.
“It’s also asking for Erving’s and Bernardston’s participation in the regionalization study,” Jacque said during the meeting.
“The goal of these contracts is to get us through the next year, through the regionalization study, where we will determine next steps,” Fortier said.
The contracts also include termination clauses, should the feasibility study conclude and the three towns decide to operate differently.
Another area of potential change for Northfield EMS lies in its facility, as the town works toward constructing a public safety complex on Main Street just north of Dickinson Memorial Library. On Tuesday, the Selectboard voted to renew the lease of the current 41 Main St. facility through June 30, 2024. The property is owned by Sandri Realty Inc. and will cost $800 per month to lease in FY23, then $850 per month in FY24. This amounts to $19,800 over the two years.
Selectboard members voiced their support for the feasibility study, with Jacque noting her plan to get regular updates from Northfield EMS.
“I’ll be interested to see what sort of cost model they come up with, with regionalization,” commented Selectboard Clerk Bernard “Bernie” Boudreau. “Right now, whatever Mark’s doing is working.”
Reach Shelby Ashline at 413-772-0261, ext. 270 or sashline@recorder.com.