McDonough District Hospital notified Lifeguard it is terminating the ambulance service's contract effective May 3. The Community News Brief learned of this decision late this afternoon and immediately reached out to hospital administration for more information. The Brief has also reached out to County Board Chair Eric Blakeley and Macomb Mayor Mike Inman for comment. Blakeley told the Brief that he will have a statement Friday. The Community News Brief is meeting with hospital officials Friday morning and will provide more information as this story unfolds.
In an email response to the Community News Brief, CEO Bill Murdock, stated, "Confirming the date of the Lifeguard contract cancellation is May 3, 2026."
While no public announcements have been made regarding the termination of the county's ambulance contract with Lifeguard, hospital administrators alluded to the new contract's unsustainability at the Jan. 14 meeting of the McDonough County's Finance Committee. McDonough District Hospital officials brought forth financial concerns surrounding a new contract the county hospital negotiated with Lifeguard Ambulance, which provides ambulance services for McDonough County.
The new five-year contract, which was negotiated by Chief Nursing Officer Wayne Laramie, will cost the hospital $600,000/year, from its current $180,000/year as Macomb Fire Department personnel will no longer be sub-contracted as Lifeguard employees. A new contract with the fire department eliminated the provision in which firefighters were contracted to drive Lifeguard ambulances, which resulted in overtime for the fire department staff, along with shortages in fire department personnel when they were on ambulance runs, according to city officials. City leadership and rural fire protection districts had expressed concern over staffing and equipment shortages, so Lifeguard purchased a new ambulance and added staff to ensure adequate coverage for the county, both of which has resulted in the increased costs, Laramie told the Finance Committee. MDH administration noted that a last resort option to pay for the additional expenses would be a tax levy.
MDH leadership had asked the county and city to consider contributing toward the new contract; both entities have declined to commit additional funding at this time due to budgetary concerns and restraints, and were not included in the contract negotiations with Lifeguard. The hospital, which was among the first in the state to move to in-house emergency services in the early 1970s, moved from the in-house model to the current outsourced service with Lifeguard in 2018, under then-MDH CEO Kenny Boyd.
On June 5, 1970, the county board voted unanimously to fulfill the need for a county ambulance service, and "file with the proper state and federal agencies for financial assistance on this matter, with the purpose in mind of providing a full ambulance services for all residents of said County" and that the ambulance service be provided to the county by McDonough District Hospital, "who shall administer and service said operation on a contract basis with McDonough County, the hospital to perform and maintain said service at actual cost without profit."
Under Illinois' 1973 Public Act 78-456, non-home rule counties were authorized to provide emergency ambulance service to or from points within or without the county; or to combine with other units of government for the purpose of providing ambulance service. Before the county provides the operation of an ambulance service, an ordinance must be passed by a majority of the county board. Once passed, the Board may provide or operate an ambulance service, or contract with a private person, hospital, corporation or another governmental unit for the operation of ambulance service or subsidize the service.
