Hospital backs current service
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center CEO and President Aaron Flugum believes he understands both sides of the issue when it comes to the ambulance situation in Chickasaw County.
But he also believes the hospital must stand by the volunteers who have made the Chickasaw Ambulance Service “an excellent one that has served our patients well.”
And the New Hampton hospital’s top administrator said those who wonder why MercyOne currently isn’t seeking to run an ambulance service need to understand that the hospital would have to ask the county for more money than Chickasaw Ambulance Service owner Jeremy McGrath did in the three-year contract that the Ambulance Council rejected last week.
“In my mind, they provide a great service,” Flugum said of the Chickasaw Ambulance Service. “They have top-notch, up-to-date equipment. They’re always doing the latest clinical skills. It’s a very good service, and we stand behind them.”
At the same time, he said he understands the Ambulance Council members have been faced with a challenging situation since McGrath opted out of his current contract this past winter.
— For more on this story, see the May 7 Tribune