As discussions about providing and funding ambulance services in Sweetwater County continue, so do tensions connected to those discussions.
During Tuesday’s Sweetwater County Commissioners meeting, Green River City Councilwoman Sherry Bushman addressed a comment Commissioner Mary Thoman made during a previous meeting.
“I would just like to challenge our cities to step up to the plate and offer to help instead of objecting to everything we’re doing. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to get a united plan moving forward when you keep getting ideas thrown from the sidelines but they’re not willing to step up to the plate,” Bushman quoted Thoman saying during the April 19 commissioners’ meeting.
“Let’s do some fact finding,” Bushman said, proceeding to discuss several points regarding the history of ambulance service discussions which she presented as a list of facts.
Bushman’s list included an EMS assessment being first conducted by SafeTech in 2015; the commissioners providing funding without perimeters or caps; an ambulance committee being formed in 2021 and exploring multiple options, ultimately recommending consolidation; emergency medical service workers in the community facing job insecurity; and her belief current discussions could have been avoided if consolidation had happened sooner.
“A decision could have been made back in December of 2015, and yet seven years later we’re still in the same conversations,” Bushman said. “So perhaps if it was implemented we wouldn’t have this issue now. So, here we are, pointing fingers, and we should not be doing that.”
Bushman said she believes the cities have the obligation to be part of the process and solution, due diligence has been done by involved organizations, and elected officials all have integrity and an obligation to the community to make sound decisions and to put people first.
“In my opinion, Thoman, I’m sorry, but your statement is false,” Bushman said.
Commissioners Jeff Smith and Randy Wendling both thanked Bushman for her work with the ambulance committee.
“I apologize if I offended you, I did not mean to offend you,” Thoman said in response.
Thoman explained her original statement was in response to what Smith shared regarding the cities of Green River and Rock Springs not wanting to contribute any money toward ambulance service.
“They want to be players, they want to have a say in what happens, but no dollars have been offered,” Thoman said, saying this is what discouraged her.
Bushman responded the city has been contributing by providing possible options and solutions, which involves time and effort.
“Money on the table is not always everything,” Bushman said. “We have our own budget that we have to contend to. We barely make payroll right now. Again, this should have been resolved seven years ago. This has nothing to do with us right now.”
The most recent update on the ongoing process of consolidating ambulance services in Sweetwater County was provided during the last commission meeting.
At the April 19 meeting, Bailie Dockter from Castle Rock Medical Center told the commissioners discussions with Sweetwater Medics about Castle Rock Ambulance Service taking over service in Rock Springs were continuing to progress. Dockter said she hopes to be able to present a contract and go into negotiations with the county soon.
Reader Comments(0)