Wichita shouldn’t rush to break EMS agreement

Maybe there is a conversation to be had about allowing private ambulance service within Wichita for nonemergencies. But the way to start it isn’t for the City Council to break the 12-year agreement with Sedgwick County that keeps the county-run Emergency Medical Service comprehensive and strong.

Sedgwick County commissioners are upset about the proposed termination, which is on Tuesday’s City Council agenda, and no wonder. As Commissioner Dave Unruh told The Eagle editorial board, ending Sedgwick County’s exclusive right to transport all patients within the city and county boundaries could have a profound effect on the county’s budget and services.

Such partial privatization could threaten the financial stability of Sedgwick County EMS, as 85 percent of its services occur within Wichita and at least 11 percent of its annual calls are for nonemergency transport. The county estimates the lost revenue to be $2.5 million to $3 million annually.

The move would disconnect the nonemergency calls from the 911 system, which is overseen by a medical director and supervisory board. As it is, dispatchers and paramedics encounter and can handle situations that prove more serious or urgent than anticipated.

County officials project that the revenue loss could lead the county to close some EMS stations within Wichita, and jeopardize plans to add and staff stations in southeast Wichita/Sedgwick County this year, at 34th Street North and Webb in 2017, and in west Wichita in 2017.

If part of the Sedgwick County EMS responsibilities and revenues are to be carved out and the entire system downsized and potentially compromised as a result, the City Council needs a better reason than the only one in the Tuesday agenda documentation: “The city has received inquiries from private companies wanting to establish ambulance services within the city for nonemergency ambulance services.”

There isn’t even a financial impact on the city government, as Sedgwick County EMS is 84 percent funded by users (mostly insurers) and 16 percent subsidized by county taxpayers.

City Council members have been critical of the County Commission since last year for breaking funding agreements with outside partners related to economic development and local attractions. Better city-county coordination is needed overall.

The council faces a July 1 deadline to avoid automatic renewal of the agreement for another year, but that seems like a reason the city shouldn’t have waited so long – or should defer the termination a year and engage the county and the public in this important public-safety discussion.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Wichita shouldn’t rush to break EMS agreement."