Resident Update 2-20-19
Another last minute change to the agenda by Trustee Leneghan puts the threat of Delaware County taking over our Liberty Township EMS back on the table. At the end of scheduled business at last night’s Liberty Township Trustee meeting, Trustees Leneghan and Gemperline voted to approve a resolution to send a contract to the County Commissioners demanding they reimburse the Liberty Township Fire Department $1 million a year for the next 10 years for providing our own EMS (Resolution #19-0219-12). It is the two trustees’ belief that if the township is not adequately compensated, the county should just take over the LTFD EMS (Resolution #19-0219-13). The second resolution was tabled by Trustee Leneghan pending the outcome of the request to the Commissioners. Trustee Leneghan stated that she came to the million dollar figure by looking at the November 27th proposal from the county as well as dividing their EMS budget by the number of stations they run. She actually feels $1 million is a bargain since the current LTFD EMS budget is $3 million.
Trustee Eichhorn voted against the million dollar request stating that the Delaware County Pre-hospital Care System Board, which was recently just approved by the Commissioners, needs to bring forth recommendations first, and then the two entities can work on reimbursement numbers. Trustee Eichhorn felt that putting the county in this position is not a good negotiating tactic and could potentially backfire.
Earlier in the meeting, the new medical director, Dr. Ashish Panchal, presented a slide show which highlighted his review of the department for the past few weeks. He stated that it has been a pleasure to work with our firefighters and stressed how engaged and professional they are. He noted that as the medical director it is also his job to assess the health and well-being of the staff and stated that “what they’re going through is challenging.” He commended them for their resilience, but admitted it is being “tried.” He was also very impressed with the department’s average turn out and response times. During the question and answer period, Dr. Panchal stated that the decision to put two or three medics in the back of an ambulance is a “policy decision” that is not in his hands. He was also asked if he would implement the GHOLD protocol which the department was trained on back in November. Dr. Panchal stated that he was staying with the current protocol (not GHOLD) because he wants to “start stable and strong.” When asked what taxpayers are getting for their money, Dr. Panchal replied “accountability.” He noted that Dr. Bachman and Dr. Kman, his two assistants, are Powell residents who have a vested interest in their community and will work with Dr. Panchal as a team. The OSUWMC contract can be viewed here.
The next trustee meeting is scheduled for 7:00 pm on March 4th at Township Hall, 7761 Liberty Road. You can view last night’s meeting in its entirety here. Resolution #12 discussion begins around the 1:21:30 mark.
Related Articles:
Channel 4: Debate over EMS service continues in Liberty Township (2.19.20)
This Week Community News: Delaware County leader: Liberty Township's request for $1 million "rediculous" (2-20-19)