After the Term is Up, MDH No Longer in the Ambulance Business
Following last week’s McDonough District Hospital Board meeting, which included a lengthy discussion about MDH’s termination of the Lifeguard Ambulance contract, MDH CEO Bill Murdock, County Board Chair Eric Blakeley and Macomb Mayor Mike Inman met with Macomb Lifeguard staff Tuesday to discuss how to keep ambulance services operating in the county.
At Lifeguard’s request, Murdock, Inman and Blakeley met to work on a possible solution. At Tuesday’s meeting, MDH verbally agreed to enter into a new one-year contract with Lifeguard, effective May 1. According to Murdock, MDH is providing a subsidy of around $180,000 for the new one-year term, which mirrors the contract that was previously in place with Lifeguard before Chief Nursing Officer Wayne Laramie negotiated the new fiveyear contract. After April 30, 2027, MDH will step away from providing a subsidy for ambulance services.
“We are not budgeting to subsidize the ambulance services after the one-year commitment,” the hospital CEO added. “We expect a multiyear agreement to be in place between Lifeguard and other entities within 12 months to avoid a disruption of services.
“MDH is proud to provide financial support for the ambulance service for over 50 years without a burden to the property owners of McDonough County,” Murdock said. “Rural healthcare is challenging and a change is needed at MDH to ensure strength and stability is returned for the future viability of the organization.”
