Ambulance contract approved

Osage County commissioners voted Friday to give final approval to a contract with Miller EMS to provide ambulance service to the Barnsdall and Avant communities for the fiscal year running from July 2018 through June 2019.

The county’s monthly payment under the terms of the contract will be $18,000.

The commissioners asked Nathaniel Keyton, a supervisor for Miller EMS who was present at the June 29 meeting, if Miller will include in its reports to the county the percentage of care it provides that is Advanced Life Support care, as opposed to the percentage that is Basic Life Support care.

District 3 Commissioner Darren McKinney said the commissioners had been “getting some flak” on that issue.

“Even when we’ve got Basic Life Support coverage, it’s a very high Basic Life Support,” Keyton said. He added Miller EMS hopes to soon be providing Advanced Life Support care in the Barnsdall and Avant areas 100 percent of the time.

Miller was scheduled to take over ambulance service for Barnsdall and Avant as of July 1. Samaritan EMS, which previously provided ambulance care for those communities, decided not to renew its contract with the county for the 2018-19 fiscal year. Samaritan said it was losing money on its contract with the county.

Miller, which was already providing ambulance service in the Fairfax area, competed for the 2018-19 contract for Barnsdall and Avant.