By David Fleet
Editor
Atlas Twp. —Emergency response times are improving.
Last year, Medstar introduced local service agreements within Genesee county for EMS including Atlas Township and the Village of Goodrich.
Both the village and township designated Medstar as the preferred ambulance/emergency medical provider. The Genesee County 9-1-1 Consortium is directed to dispatch Medstar to all requests for ambulance or emergency services within its boundaries.
According to a report issued earlier this month, response times for the Village Goodrich declined from about 29 minutes in May 2021 to 8 minutes in May 2022. In addition, times dropped from about 27 minutes in June 2021 to 7 minutes in 2022.
For Atlas Township, times dropped from about 14 minutes in May 2021 to 8 minutes in May 2022. In addition, response time dipped from 20 minutes in June 2021 to about 8 minutes in 2022.
“One minute in response time is an improvement,” said Shirley Kautman-Jones,township supervisor. “I’m thrilled for the partnership, it benefits the people of the community. My obligation is for the health, safety and welfare of the township, this is part of that task. Positioning the ambulance in Davison Township made a major difference. There is much more demand for EMS there, but we in Atlas get the advantage. Keep in mind ambulance service is a business, it’s not charity, they need a return on their investment.”
Medstar is a not-for-profit organization owned by the McLaren Healthcare Corporation, Ascension-Michigan, and the Henry Ford Health System. The agency provides 911 EMS service for communities in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, Bay, and Genesee Counties, as well as critical care, air medical, and interfacility transport throughout the region.
Due to low call volume, Goodrich and Atlas Township depend on nearby private ambulance services from Grand Blanc and Davison in case of emergency. As a result, response times in emergency situations have been a concern for local officials for many years.
That need for improved EMS was emphasized in a recent report, when in February, Genesee County 911 provided a two-year response time study. According to the report, in 2021 of 32 communities, Atlas Township had the 28th slowest response time, while the Village of Goodrich was 31st.
According to the county 911 study in Goodrich, 14 percent of the time the response was less than 9 minutes, while 62 percent of the time the ambulance responded in 13 minutes or less. For 2021, about 17 percent of the time an ambulance arrived in Atlas Township in less than 9 minutes and 43 percent of the time they responded in 13 minutes.
“My career began in Genesee County in 1988, and I’m proud to see Medstar working with local leaders to improve the EMS system today and into the future,” said Kolby Miller, Medstar Chief Executive Officer. “Through local service agreements, we can deliver consistent resource deployment and coverage, as well as a deeper integration with community and public safety leaders, without subsidy or financial risk from the communities served.”