Lincoln County Healthcare has committed to giving the towns of Southport, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor a total of $250,000 to support the transition to a new model of prehospital care in the Boothbay region.

The money is offered in recognition that when the emergency department of St. Andrews Hospital is converted to an urgent care center in October, the Boothbay Regional Ambulance Service will face significant changes, including longer runs to the hospital.

The $250,000 is for one year only, but Lincoln County Healthcare will continue to work with all three towns and will reassess the need for funding next year.

Federal law prohibits Lincoln County Healthcare from giving money directly to the ambulance service or requiring that towns use the funds to support the service. However, it can support those towns that are most impacted by offering unrestricted funds.

Stacey Miller, Lincoln County Healthcare Senior Vice President of Physician Services, said the funds are an investment in a partnership that includes the towns of the Boothbay region, the ambulance service and Lincoln County Healthcare to ensure the community continues to maintain a viable, high quality ambulance service.

The reception from all three towns was appreciative, she said.

Mark Fourre, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Lincoln County Healthcare, said town officials asked very insightful questions about the future of prehospital care in the Boothbay area.

“One question is whether this will be the final model and the answer is no, it will probably change every year and we hope it will be both better care and less expensive,” Fourre said.

The Boothbay Region Ambulance Service already provides a very high level of care, comparable to the services in much larger towns in southern Maine, according to Tim Fox, MD, Lincoln County Healthcare Director of Emergency Services.

As Lincoln County Healthcare and the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service work together to enhance training and technology, Fourre said he believes that prehospital care in the region can get even better.

This year, Lincoln County Healthcare has committed to upgrading the training of up to 15 Boothbay Region Ambulance Service emergency medical technicians through courses provided at the Lincoln County Healthcare Education Center and practical training at Miles Memorial Hospital.

Lincoln County Healthcare and the Boothbay Regional Ambulance Service are also partnering on a first-in-the-state initiative that uses iPads and a secure wireless connection to allow emergency physicians to communicate face to face with Boothbay Region Ambulance Service staff and patients while the ambulance is on the way to the hospital.

That initiative is designed to allow physicians to begin their evaluation of patients sooner, so treatment can begin more quickly when patients arrive at the hospital.

Through its partnership with the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, Lincoln County Healthcare is committed to bringing new advances in prehospital care that can not only save lives in the first critical minutes of a medical crisis, but also help people live in their homes longer and more safely.

“Our vision is for the towns we serve to be the healthiest communities in Maine,” Fourre said.