The Stoddard County Ambulance District (SCAD) Board of Directors voted 4-0 to purchase a new ambulance from American Response Vehicles at their regular meeting recently. The district has sought bids to replace an older ambulance.
SCAD Manager Dave Cooper said request for bids were sent to six companies, but only one company submitted a bid. Their bid was for a 2018 Type I X-Series Ltd Custom with a Freightliner chassis. The unit comes with Stryker power equipment. The total cost was $319,837 without a trade-in. The estimated delivery date for the new unit is between 270 and 300 days.
"I don't understand why we received only one bid, but I'm going to check into it," said Cooper.
Cooper said the district alternates each year between a four-wheel drive vehicle and a larger truck model, and this year it was the larger truck model.
The board previously had voted to seek bids for a new ambulance. They voted 4-0 to approve the purchase with board members Sam Huey, Al Banken, Tish Foster and Amy Stubenrauch present. Board members Rick McLain and Derek Stevens were not present.
Health Insurance
The board also approved renewing the health insurance policy for employees by a unanimous vote. Cooper presented information that showed that health insurance premiums were increasing an estimated 23 percent. United Health Care is the insurer.
Kay Sims, owner/agent with the Sims Company, is the agent for the SCAD health insurance.
Cooper said a major factor in the increase was the age of employees. He said the median age had continued to increase.
The deductible will increase from $2,600 to $2,850 per individual.
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are available to employees, but few are utilizing the benefit, Cooper said. HSAs allow employees to put pre-tax funds into an account to pay for medical services. The district had looked at other plans that included a narrower network of providers and also at self-insurance, but neither option drew much interest from the board.
Cooper said one problem is that insurer options continue to decrease, and he recommended renewing the insurance plan though United Health Care. It passed by a 6-0 vote.
Scholarships
The board continued discussions on awarding scholarships, but took no official action. The board has expressed a desire to fund scholarships to EMTs and paramedics. The discussion was on whether the scholarships should be limited to EMT certification.
Cooper noted that receiving a scholarship would not be "a guarantee of employment" for EMTs.
The board also discussed whether an EMT scholarship should cover the cost of an associates degree at TRC or a certificate program.
"We want to make sure we answer all the questions before moving forward," said Cooper.