Last week the Timberjay reported that the Tower City Council was “skeptical over cost of sprint medic pilot project”, particularly the $200 charge to the area ambulance service each time a sprint medic responds to an incident. My concerns go beyond that: When the $3 million in sprint medic seed money runs out, who is going to maintain and replace the sprint vehicle, keep it stocked, pay the paramedic wages, insurance and administrative costs for a service that covers 60 hours per week while leaving 108 hours uncovered? I wouldn’t count on the Legislature.
That being said, I am not a fan of the sprint medic plan for a number of reasons, and I’m disappointed that it is the best that the Legislative EMS Task Force could come up with. I would much prefer that our area participates in the plan that the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and its consultant SafeTech Solutions are working on. The hospital’s plan provides 24-hour advanced life support ambulance coverage for Ely, Tower and Babbitt, along with a consolidated, professional administration, something that is critical for modern ambulance services. One of the big bonuses of grouping the three stations together under the ownership of the “critical care” Ely Hospital is that the Medicare payments for ambulance runs jumps from about 40-percent of actual cost to 101-percent. That helps lead to sustainability! 
Again, I’m disappointed in the Legislative Task Force— it’s almost like they just threw some money against the wall. They certainly didn’t fulfill the well documented recommendations laid out by the 2022 Office of the Legislative Auditor Report on the rural ambulance crisis. 
I would recommend that at least for our area, the sprint program be put on hold, that our legislators read the 2022 OLA Report, and when the Legislature convenes in January, apply our share of the money to the very logical pilot plan that the Ely Hospital and Safe Tech is working on. It has a future. 
Lee Peterson
Greenwood Twp.