Thank you for the coverage of the CCMH ambulance service proposal.

After reading the front page article, we do need to make a clarification. Our proposal does not add one ALS ambulance at each of the CCAD bases (El Dorado Springs and Stockton). If you will refer to the third paragraph of the proposal, we state, “One Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance will be maintained at each of the Stockton and El Dorado Springs bases 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Please note this is the current coverage being provided, which we will maintain.

What we propose to add (again referencing the third paragraph) is a third ambulance stationed at CCMH that will be operational 12 hours a day (1p.m. – 1a.m.), 365 days per year. This unit would be staffed by 1 licensed Registered Professional Nurse (RN) or 1 licensed Paramedic (EMT-P) and 1 EMT. This ambulance will make transfers, and in time, might be able to respond to “scene” calls. Response to scene calls would require additional training for some CCMH RNs.

With this third ambulance to make transfers, the other two ambulances would have more coverage time for emergency calls within Cedar County. We hope that this clarification will be shared with the public to assure dissemination of correct information.

Jana C. Witt, C.E.O.

Cedar County Memorial Hospital