Squad asks five towns to boost funding

More miles, low government reimbursements and more government requirements are pushing South Jefferson Rescue Squad to ask for more money from the towns it serves.

It is asking the towns of Adams, Ellisburg, Lorraine, Rodman and Worth to contribute $11.60 per person, almost twice the current rate of $6 per person, according to U.S. Census numbers. For example, the squad is asking Ellisburg for a 49 percent increase, to $41,076.

Deborah L. Mabe, president of the mostly volunteer organization, made a pitch for the raise Thursday night at the Ellisburg Town Council meeting. She said the rates haven't changed in several years.

"I think we have a very good budget," she said.

Mrs. Mabe compared the squad's proposed price per person to what Orleans and Clayton pay for coverage from Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service, which also has a mix of paid staff and volunteers.

The TIERS rate in 2007 was $30.43 per person for Orleans and $20.76 per person in Clayton.

Other funding for the South Jefferson squad comes from patient billing, donations, memorials, recertifications and interest.

The gap between what the squad bills and what it actually receives each year remains substantial. In 2005, the squad billed $207,523 and received $137,897. The amount not paid was $69,626. In 2007, the squad billed $213,233 and received $166,809. The squad was not paid $46,424.

Mrs. Mabe blames the gap on Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement. "You're losing money on Medicaid or Medicare calls," she said.

The squad charges $125 for treat-and-release patients, $425 for basic life support calls, $555 for advanced life support calls, $650 for critical advanced life support calls and $10 per loaded mile.

Those charges increased last year, but could be raised again. The charges are based on the range of charges the squad's outside billing company collects for other squads.

A primary increased cost is for the fuel needed to take more trips to Syracuse hospitals for more advanced care for certain patients, such as stroke victims, than is available at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown.

"We're heading south more, which puts more miles on the ambulances," Mrs. Mabe said.

The increased costs related to insurance, two full-time paid staff members and many trips to Syracuse resulted in the need to ask for more from the five towns the squad serves.

This year, the squad bought two electric stretchers for $24,000. It added some medications, which also are costly. The squad has added programs, such as home inspection to check smoke detectors and safety. It also creates "packets of life," which keep medical information accessible during emergencies, and operates blood pressure screenings.

In the future, the squad will need money to keep up with operating costs and government mandates and to build a new building.

Mrs. Mabe said the option for the towns is to be an agent of change or a tenant of the result. "South Jeff has always prided itself on being agents of change."