The Boothbay Region Ambulance Service’s request for town support increased greatly in 2014 to compensate for changes associated with closing St. Andrews emergency room. This year, the service’s operating budget is up about three percent but subsidy requests to Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport are down about 11 percent overall.

BRAS’s 2015 budget predicts operating expenses for next fiscal year of $878,186 versus $854,674 in fiscal year 2014. Most of the operating budget is dedicated to staff salaries and despite being in the health business, only three employees are provided with health insurance coverage.

Operations Manager Scott Lash said the service has better data for budget projections this year, but they are still relying on only five months experience without a local hospital. “It’s a better guess but it’s still a best guess,” Lash said.

Each town’s share of the subsidy is based on the community’s population size and its ambulance call volume. Southport voters unanimously approved that town’s ambulance subsidy request of $36,084 at town meeting on March 3. The only public comment was that the town subsidy was too little for the service.

Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor selectmen and budget committee have yet to take a position on their proposed share of ambulance support. Based on meetings so far, it seems likely that they, too, will support the full request.

More fundraising

Although only 39 percent of the local population, Boothbay Harbor’s share of last year’s call volume was 57 percent. Thus, the town’s share of the 2015 subsidy ($168,487) is higher than the more populous Boothbay’s ($146,155). As they did last year, Boothbay Harbor’s selectmen and budget committee have taken a keen interest in the ambulance service’s budget and operations this budget season.

In a meeting on February 26, budget committee and selectmen encouraged BRAS to do more fundraising and to investigate merging with other ambulance services. “One of the criteria we look at when funding nonprofit organizations is that they conduct fundraising,” Boothbay Harbor Selectman Bill Hamblen said. “We think fundraising needs to be a part of your budget.”

BRAS President Rob Ham said BRAS raised $42,000 in FY 2014, which was used to equip ambulances, but agreed with the concept of more fundraising. Lash said with limited staff, the push to upgrade office administration and procedures, and the need to restructure for hospital changes, fundraising plans had to be pushed to the back burner.

“Consider diversifying your board and increasing the numbers on your board,” Budget Committee member Mohamed Osman said. “You can’t try to do it all by yourselves.”

“We have long recognized the need for a fundraising arm,” Lash said after the meeting. “There is a role here for anyone who wants to help the service but does not want to become an EMT.”

Regionalization?

The suggestion that joining forces with other regional ambulances services might be a way to reduce costs while maintaining the same level of service was not met with the same optimism.

“Healthcare is changing and everyone has to be open to change,” Selectman Denise Griffin said. “I urge you to participate in merger talks.”

Lash said BRAS has been meeting with Wiscasset Ambulance Service and Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service to discuss ways to reduce costs and share services. “We have been looking at the best way to deliver services to the county,” Lash said. “But there are a lot of details to work out before we could present any facts.”

Although Lash said BRAS will continue to assess its staffing model, he said he believes the current structure, two crews around the clock, is necessary with the longer travel time and lack of volunteers.

Lash said the idea that other services could provide coverage that would allow BRAS to reduce staffing and lower town costs isn’t realistic.

”With local fire departments, the need for mutual aid may arise maybe 30 times a year,” Lash said. “With the ambulance service, it would be hundreds of times. Wiscasset has said they cannot provide routine backup and if Central Lincoln County were to provide regular coverage, it would come with a cost.”

There would also be significant delay in response time if either of these organization were to respond to Boothbay area calls from their home base.

“When a call doesn’t get answered, we would be the ones that would have to answer to that,” Ham said.

LCH financial support

Last year, Lincoln County Healthcare provided $250,000 to local towns to offset higher ambulance costs. Whether or not LCH will provide a subsidy this year will be discussed at the March 27 LCH Board of Trustees meeting.

“Last year, we made it clear to all three towns that the $250,000 donation was a single year commitment and that we would revisit the issue in 2014, but made no promises,” LCH CEO Jim Donovan said.

Whatever the LCH decision, Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay boards are expected to make their final recommendations on the ambulance subsidy in the next few weeks.

Beginning in July, a town-appointed representative from each of the three towns will join the ambulance service board of trustees. Ham, who has been a regular feature at local selectmen’s meetings this year, said he hopes this new structure will better keep communities in the loop.