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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Give the SafeTech proposal a fair hearing

Posted 1/23/25

I don’t believe that the modern, sustainable, Ely-Tower-Babbitt ambulance service, envisioned by the EBCH/SafeTech proposal should be declared dead. It’s too good of a plan and it …

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Give the SafeTech proposal a fair hearing

Posted

I don’t believe that the modern, sustainable, Ely-Tower-Babbitt ambulance service, envisioned by the EBCH/SafeTech proposal should be declared dead. It’s too good of a plan and it deserves to at least be fleshed out and considered in the light of day. What’s to be afraid of? This plan certainly echoes the recommendations laid out in the Office of the Legislative Auditor report that thoroughly dealt with the precarious situation facing rural ambulance services and the need for us to modernize so patients across the region can experience Advanced Life Support care when we need it.
Lake County Commissioner Joe Baltich’s negativity about the Ely Hospital is unfortunate and unbecoming. We’re very fortunate to have the Ely Hospital in our region, and we need to do everything we can to take advantage of it, not tear it down. If you do a check of the hospital-owned ambulance services in Minnesota, you will find that they provide, for very solid reasons, very good Advanced Life Support ambulance services.
It’s in everyone’s interest to have Advanced Life Support ambulances as compared to Basic Life Support ambulances. A lot of us potential “patients” would appreciate it if the entities involved would calmly sit down with the hospital and give the EBCH/SafeTech plan a fair hearing.
Lee Peterson
Greenwood Township