Marion County forms committee to review emergency services

Emily Hawk, The Oskaloosa Herald, Iowa
·2 min read

Mar. 2—KNOXVILLE — Marion County has established an advisory committee to review emergency medical services in the county.

The Marion County EMS Advisory Committee was established at the Marion County Board of Supervisors regular meeting Tuesday to evaluate EMS operations in order to determine if current models are adequate and financially sustainable.

Based on their review, the committee will make recommendations and offer potential solutions for improvement to benefit county residents.

"With what's happened in Pella ... in the last year, we thought now was a good time to look at how we operate EMS in Marion County, because obviously there are some gaps and inefficiencies that are out there," said Cal Wyman, Knoxville fire chief. "We can't fix them if we don't know what those issues are or what the root problems are."

The City of Pella established Pella Community Ambulance as a city-operated service in June last year, which formerly operated as a nonprofit. The ambulance service was struggling with staffing issues and low reimbursement rates in the midst of an increase in emergency calls.

Voting members of the committee will include representatives from each city and township in Marion County, in addition to the board of supervisors, county sheriff's office, Pella Regional Health Center and Knoxville Hospital and Clinics. The committee is also composed of non-voting members who are local EMS employees.

In other news:

— Jared Harmon was appointed as the new Marion County attorney following Ed Bull's resignation. Harmon previously served as first assistant county attorney.

— Supervisors approved a $358,082.41 contract with Cook Construction of Iowa, LLC, for the construction of turn lanes on Highway 163 adjacent to LDJ Manufacturing in Pella. The new turn lanes will provide safety improvements to the current gravel median crossover that separates both sides of the highway across from the company's property entrance. The project received a $225,000 Rural Innovation Stronger Economy, or RISE grant, in addition to $200,000 from County-State Traffic Engineering, or C-STEP, program. The county is responsible for a $72,000 RISE grant match. Construction is slated to begin June 1 and is expected to be completed within 30 working days.

Emily Hawk is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. She can be reached at ehawk@oskyherald.com.