WINTON- Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital CEO Patti Banks quickly let attendees at Monday’s meeting of the Ely Area Ambulance Joint Powers Board that the $70,000 study they had hoped to see this week has not yet been completed.
EBCH has hired a firm, Safe Tech, of Isanti, Minn., with a national reputation as a specialist in rural EMS solutions. The study the hospital commissioned in August 2023 would look beyond just Ely to look at both regional and local solutions to the area’s struggles in funding EMS.
The study, which had an original completion date of January, was delayed for two reasons, according to Banks. For one, she said Safe Tech had received information needed to complete the study from the Ely Area Ambulance Service (EAAS) just last week. Finally, Safe Tech representatives had hoped to incorporate relevant discussions or decisions made at the Jan.29 JPB meeting.
“Right now,” Banks added, “there are at least three different viable solutions for innovative approaches to EMS within our region. For me to speak on the outcomes or any of those potential solutions would be speculative at this point.”
Later in the meeting, Banks did reveal a brief summary of what the three scenarios might look like. “One is a regional model. One of them is a (local) model that would depend on who holds the license for the ambulance service.” Banks made the point that regardless of who held the license for providing EMS for the area, all the staffing problems and costs of operating an ambulance service would remain the same.
Banks concluded by saying, “The one solution that seems we are consistently headed towards is to do nothing (and maintain the) status quo.” Banks took a dim view of the latter course, remarking, “We’re not going to solve any issues with just continuing to finance a system that is broken.”

Disconnected discussion
Banks said she was hoping for a discussion about how the current system of EMS might be fixed or improved, so she could take any ideas for “innovative solutions” back to Safe Tech. Such solutions were not forthcoming, however, as the board and the other attendees at the meeting focused on the perpetual near-term problem of funding the ambulance service operations.
At least 15 minutes of the meeting were spent discussing the need to lobby the Legislature and the federal government for aid to address the financial problems that all rural ambulance services currently have.
Both ambulance board chair Chuck Novak and JPB member Bob Berrini spoke about the specific efforts through personal connections and groups like the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools to elevate the funding issue in the eyes of state- and federal elected officials.
“There is going to be money given to the ambulance issue,” Berrini stated, expressing his optimistic opinion that the Legislature will act.
Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza pointed out that legislators would also like to hear about the sort of solutions that Banks was hoping to discuss, remarking, “I think they were very interested in hearing (about) a viable solution. I think they would be definitely willing to pilot a program.”
When Banks tried to shift the discussion from funding and a possible legislative fix, her calm businesslike demeanor met with pushback from EAAS board members who appeared to miss what she was saying.
Berrini, who is a member of both the EAAS board and the JPB, commented that the ambulance service already gave Safe Tech feedback. “We went good a half hour, 45 minutes (with Safe Tech), and gave all the information that you needed on your study—right, Patti?— during the interview process.”
After more fruitless discussion, Banks said she would bring the three fleshed-out scenarios to the next the JPB meeting.

EBCH statement
Banks also brought a formal statement which she read to the meeting, addressing what she called “rumors and misunderstandings” in the community regarding the hospital’s intentions.
The statement made seven points:
• EBCH was committed to providing the best patient care possible, including EMS. As a former provider of EMS, the EBCH felt it had valuable input to contribute to the ongoing funding problems impacting regional ambulance services.
• EAAS, EBCH, and JPB were all separate legal entities, and none had control over the others.
• Neither EBCH nor JPB has the authority “to transfer or otherwise affect” the Minnesota EMS license belonging to EAAS.
• EBCH has not taken any steps “to transfer or otherwise affect” the Minnesota EMS license belonging to EAAS.
• Neither the EBCH nor JPB has any control over EAAS’ finances.
• EBCH has no control over how much JPB contributes to EAAS’ finances and JPB has no control over how much EBCH contributes to EAAS’ finances.
• “EBCH respects the decision EAAS and the JPB make for what they feel are the best interests of their respective organizations.”
Novak followed on the heels of Banks’ statement, stating, “I agree with everything that Patti (Banks) just said,” commenting that both EBCH and EAAS wanted the same thing, and that was the best care for their patients.
Novak added, “We live in a community that is ripe with rumors … I’ll just say that the contention between the ambulance service and the hospital is not as bad as portrayed in public.”

Other business
In other matters, the JPB:
• Heard the report from Novak that the audit of the EAAS finances was still not finished, adding that the ambulance’s former billing company was the problem. The firm was not responding to requests for information from the auditors, and this has stalled the completion of the audit.
Novak stated that if they accumulated enough evidence of non-responsiveness from this firm, they would take it to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
• Heard the report that the EAAS would bring a completed 2024 budget to the JPB at the next meeting.
Novak explained that revenues recently received were improved and that the EAAS board wanted to redo the budget based on the numbers “we’re actually seeing now.”
• Approved $36,200 for architectural services from TKDA of Duluth for design drawings and specifications for the proposed garage for the EAAS. The cost for Winton will be $1,448, with the remainder of the cost to be split equally between Ely, Fall Lake, and Morse.
These moneys will be reimbursed at some time in the future from the $1.3 million U.S. Dept. of Agriculture rural development grant to the City of Ely and the EAAS which was awarded in 2023.