LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a letter to the public, Clark County, Indiana's health officer addressed concerns about EMS coverage in the county.
Dr. Eric Yazel posted the letter on social media, and discussed the current shortage at New Chapel EMS.
New Chapel EMS is the agency founded by the former Clark County sheriff, Jamey Noel. He is currently facing 31 felonies and a $1.5 million bond.
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In the letter, Yazel said they've instituted several initiatives to mitigate the strain on the system by New Chapel EMS' current shortage and protect citizens if the issues worsen.
One of those initiatives includes maximizing available resources for community partners that assist in EMS response or to help them provide EMS services themselves.
"Additionally, we are adjusting the public safety plan to allow alternative providers to provide service for transfers and non-urgent transports, as well as exploring their ability to provide back-up and/or augment 911 response capacity," Yazel said.
Yazel said the health department is allowing alternative providers to provide service for transfers and non-emergencies and maximizing resources to other partners who help with EMS response.
He went on to say since June 1, only one prolonged response time of 20 minutes has been reported and they will continue to monitor those times.
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