Lake Charlevoix EMS Authority releases annual report

Annie Doyle, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
A total of $685,000 was collected last year, and it cost over $1.6 million to provide the 24/7/365 service.
A total of $685,000 was collected last year, and it cost over $1.6 million to provide the 24/7/365 service.

CHARLEVOIX — Earlier this month, the Lake Charlevoix EMS Authority released a report on its 2021-2022 fiscal year operations.

The report highlighted a four-year high of 2,254 ambulance runs, 660 more runs than in 2019.

The authority, a collaboration with the City of Charlevoix, Charlevoix Township, Hayes Township, Marion Township and Norwood Township, provides emergency medical services to residents and visitors.

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A significant portion of the authority’s activity is the transportation of patients from Munson and McLaren hospitals to other facilities or to homes, according to the report. Many of these trips are long distance transports of critically ill persons to major medical centers downstate or to neighboring states.

Some of the authorities' significant accomplishments in the report include:

  • The acquisition of a lightly used 2015 command center ambulance.

  • The building of a new northside EMS station in Hayes Township, which is expected to significantly reduce response times to citizens north of the Charlevoix bridge when the bridge is up or malfunctioning.

  • EMR/EMT training programs developed in the high school and the community.

  • Acquisition of property on the south side of Charlevoix as the location for a future station which will shorten response times for both Marion and Norwood township residents.

  • Working with member townships and the schools to install AED equipment and train school staff in how to use them and also how to provide CPR to those in need.

Of the 2,254 runs last year, 62 percent were responding to 911 calls, 36 percent were transfer runs and mutual aid assistance was provided 63 times. The payment sources for patients is: Medicare at 50 percent, Medicaid at 16 percent, Blue Cross/Blue Shield at 15 percent, private and auto insurance at 10 percent, veterans and other organizations at 4 percent and the rest being self-pay. According to the authority, each of these have differing payment levels for service, which creates a significant issue. A total of $685,000 was collected last year, and it cost over $1.6 million to provide the 24/7/365 service. The millage collected was used to offset the difference.

The authority can be contacted via their website at lcemsa-mi.gov.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Lake Charlevoix EMS Authority releases financial and operational report