Parish Council delays action on ambulance contract change

The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday decided not to take action on a contract amendment that would give Acadian Ambulance more flexibility in the service it provides in a time of staffing shortages.

But the four votes against passage were abstentions rather no votes, and the measure is likely to appear before the council again.

Acadian had asked for the amendment to allow wider use of ambulances staffed and set up for basic life support. BLS ambulances, staffed by emergency medical technicians, can transport illness or accident victims and perform basic procedures.

Advanced life support ambulances are staffed by paramedics, who receive hundreds of hours of additional training and can take advanced lifesaving measures such as administering IV medication.

Teddy Crochet, Acadian operations manager in Paincourtville, told the council that the COVID pandemic “led to the staffing crisis facing health care today.”

Paramedics are seeking jobs in hospitals, where the environment is safer and more controlled and the hours are regular, Crochet said.

Despite Acadian’s efforts to provide training, better pay and other incentives, the privately owned ambulance company has lost six paramedics recently.

Allowing wider use of BLS ambulances “allows us to use the most appropriate level of care for the patient’s need,” Crochet said.

But Centerville firefighter Brandon Lejeune had questions about the amendment. The current agreement with Acadian requires three ambulances to be in St. Mary. But the amendment doesn’t specify how many of them must be ALS ambulances.

“If we get one ALS truck, where’s that going to be?” he asked.

An ALS ambulance in one end of the parish may need 35-40 minutes to reach the other end, Lejeune said.

“We’re not changing anything,” Crochet replied. “We’re providing the same ALS service that’s in the original contract.”

Questions from council members focused on making sure the appropriate level of care would be available during any ambulance call.

Council member Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink, a physician, spoke of one case in which an ambulance responded to a call about a 21-year-old medical student who had a blood pressure condition that a BLS ambulance can handle, only to find at the hospital that the student had a much more serious heart problem.

Rink, of Centerville, along with James Bennett of Morgan City, Mark Duhon of Amelia and Les Rulf of Patterson, also objected to the appearance of the amendment on the council agenda without more time to research the issue.

Rodney Olander of Franklin disagreed.

“They’re adding service,” Olander said. “To me, it’s almost a no-brainer.”

Olander, the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette, J Ina of Franklin and Gwendolyn Hidalgo of Bayou Vista voted for the amendment. Rulf, Duhon, Rink and Bennett abstained, leaving the amendment short of the majority required for passage. Members Dean Adams of Morgan City, Patrick Hebert of Berwick and Scott Ramsey of Bayou Vista were absent.

Parish President David Hanagriff said Acadian Ambulance response times are good. He quoted figures indicating that the average response time varies from 10.46 minutes to 15.46 minutes depending on the location in the parish.

Also Wednesday:

—The council voted to support an East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance initiative called “A Week in the Word.”

The Rev. Marty Harden, pastor at Bethel Pentecostal Fellowship in Patterson, said that during the week leading to Easter, April 3-8, people will gather outside a city hall in the parish each day to read from the New Testament.

The event will conclude with a reading at the St. Mary Courthouse in Franklin.

—The council passed a resolution of respect for Dick “Dickie” Stansbury of Morgan City, who died Feb. 16.

Stansbury was praised for his work as a carpenter, homebuilder, volunteer coach, and a source of information and advice for aspiring elected officials.