Ambulance Authority in the Works for Doddridge County - WBOY-TV

[Yup]

TELL IT LIKE IT IS wrote:

)
From what my sources say, the computers won't be donated by anyone, let alone an outsider, as the outsider declined to support the squad due to the bad press received from the Commission!

The only bad press I've seen has been against the commission, not from them. They have handled things very professionally. Your outsider is probably smart enough to see who disses who. Your sources should stick to reading the paper not writing it. She's hurting her cause.

[TELL IT LIKE IT IS]

Bad press???? I don't believe that playing a 911 tape at a public meeting, nor insinuating there are financial concerns, sex offenders on staff,untrained personnel, no policies, bad management, broadcasting bits and pieces of a law suit the Commission shouldn't have even been included in, and just the general beating the Squad has taken from the Commission has helped either!

And frankly, are we to make our decisions and judgments based on one's side's opinion?????

[1970 GRADUATE]

TELL IT LIKE IT IS wrote:

Bad press???? I don't believe that playing a 911 tape at a public meeting, nor insinuating there are financial concerns, sex offenders on staff,untrained personnel, no policies, bad management, broadcasting bits and pieces of a law suit the Commission shouldn't have even been included in, and just the general beating the Squad has taken from the Commission has helped either!
And frankly, are we to make our decisions and judgments based on one's side's opinion?????

Hell it was all TRUE? And some stuff is still going on the MEMBERS THEMSELVES are telling it. HELLO.

[Yup]

If I had lots of money, I'd keep it far away from this catfight. I'd put it toward somethin useful, Yup, I would.

[new milton mommy]

i watched the news last night and saw they swore in a committee, sounds to me like a wonderful idea...hopefully these people that were chosen to serve on it can finally do some justice to the citizens of doddridge county...i know we deserve it.

[PlayIt Straight]

Respectfully submitted for consideration:
We are Doddridge citizens and members of the Board of Directors of the Doddridge County Emergency Medical Service (DCEMS.
We are concerned about balanced news, and with no criticism of Ritcie County papers, we submit:
The DCEMS performance is under local government scrutiny the motivation for which is not apparent. Following observations are unreported, or underreported. Those of the “Greatest Generation” were the original creators & sustainers of the DCEMS. Through years of “blood, sweat, and tears” and love, the legacy of service passed down to the current generation. Taken individually, today’s members of the DCEMS each undoubtedly would have a flaw or two, but taken as a group, they are remarkably skilled, honest, selfless, and dedicated.
We humans do not always take advantage of improving service until we know we need to & know what will work.
The DCEMS shortly completes updating operating procedures on recommendations by a professional; the procedures reviewed contained correct information & needed to be sorted differently.
The procedures update, money paid by the DCEMS insurance company, and 24/7 staffing in the station should have settled the suit brought by a local family for “wrongful death” in 2005. However, it is fair to say that the way DCEMS has been portrayed was to play people’s emotions and to exploit the legal vagaries of a “settlement” with the result that many people think the settlement was an admission of GUILT.
First, all parties must agree in order to reach a settlement, and many reasons exist for making that choice.
Further, we cannot know the outcome of something that did not happen. A verdict, GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY, cannot be rendered from a trial that did not occur.
To Be continued

[PlayIt Straight]

continued: All EMSs change per State new requirements. Also,DCEMS has grown from ommitment to quality service, e.g., attend non-mandatory training, upgrade skills and qualifications etc.
A strong testimony to DCEMS performance: Superior Rating, highest possible, from the Office of Emergency Medical Services for licensure as a WV Emergency Medical Services Agency in 2008 conducted by qualified professionals. It covers the full range of what constitutes an EMS, which is addressed by eleven broad, standards-based criteria. Another untested charge is that of poor(fraudulent?) budget management by DCEMS. Consider the following:
• The attorney hired by the Doddridge County Commission to review DCEMS reported he found nothing illegal being done by the EMS but noted that their bookkeeping system is old. In response, DCEMS purchased and will transfer to a new bookkeeping system.
• The DCEMS received a perfect score on the Financial Standard (15 points out of a possible 15) against which they were measured by the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.
• The DCEMS had a financial audit performed in 2008, and no issues were found.
• Primarily EMS funds come from people and insurers the EMS bills for services. Many people do not pay (perhaps cannot pay), and insurers may not pay. Medicare and Medicaid only pay a fraction the amount billed.
• When people and insurers do pay, relatively long lead times occur before a check arrives at the DCEMS. Gaps in the amount and the timing of money received must be covered to allow them to operate. When a gap threatens their ability to operate, money is requested from the County Commissioners.
• Only three times since the beginning of the State fiscal year (July 1, 2008) has the DCEMS requested funds (i.e., taxpayer money) from the Doddridge County Commissioners.
• All bills must be and are given to the Commissioners when funds are requested to cover them. A check covering only those bills goes to DCEMS.
Many of our neighbors in Ritchie County as well as in Doddridge rely on your news and need balanced, accurate presentations. We do not have a Doddridge County residency requirement that we open our car/truck windows and tossed-out our intelligence and integrity when we come back home. We hope you will help.
Sincerely,

[TELL IT LIKE IT IS]

Don't you understand, Play it Straight -- It's not really about the DCEMS and it's supposed flaws --- Its about getting them under the control of the Commission --- It's not about all the Squad has done RIGHT, it's a certain person on the Commission taking every negative issue and instead of helping to fix it, exploding it to a reason to get rid of you all.
If you notice, your organization has had to request funds from the Commission on a regular basis this past year --- Why? What changed? The Commission changed your whole financial playing field when they demanded that you hire the extra employees ---- These hires aren't a bad thing but how did they expect for you to pay for them after they took a large chunk of your area and gave it to Salem and you hadn't had time to set the Levy up to cover the added personnel?
They had 14 letters ---and not ALL were complaints and some of them were written by former squad members who have a personal vendetta ---- ONE lawsuit (THAT WAS SETTLED) and a whole bunch of hysteria caused by who? The Commission and the press.....
Frankly, I think that you should shut your doors, sell everything and disband and then let the County Commission pay the piper.(It will be just like the 911 Center --- the blind leading the blind and the people of Doddridge Co. suffering for it.)

[Mr West Union]

All i have to say is that the fire dept and ems still suck and need new leadership and a new plan
and it does not always need good money for a bad system with dumb leaders.. and to prove my point somewhat ,how many years have these depts been in service ?? and yes they have come along way from day one but with the right people they should be alot further with new ideas, and if you think this is wrong then maybe one should take a peek at other depts who have started with alot less but have done so much better. they did not hog the cash flow and really did invest the money
and had personal who could write grants and read a book .. if only they had closed there mouths and looked past there ego's then alot more could have been done.but family and back stabbing have cut there own throats, same real men with the same old results and the same old mayor with no plan on a dead end street.