El Dorado County sends more money to Cal Tahoe JPA for ambulance services

More money is on the way to the South Shore to fund ambulance services thanks to a unanimous vote by the El Dorado County Supervisors during their June 27 meeting. An amendment was made to the original contract between the Cal Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (Cal Tahoe) and the County, giving an extra $790,000 per year as well as funds to buy a new ambulance.

The extra money will help fund a special team for interfacility transfers.

For years Cal Tahoe has been asking for more money due to the rising costs of services, especially those surrounding the transport of patients from Barton Hospital to care facilities outside of the basin causing wear and tear on vehicles. These "interfacility transfers (IFTs)" send ambulances and those that staff them away from the community for up to nine hours.

The transfers can be to psychiatric facilities where the patient must be transferred to where there is space. Many times the hospital in Napa, Calif., is the only one with openings. Most medical transfers go to hospitals in the patient's network of providers.

SLTFR Station #2 on Lake Tahoe Boulevard across from South Tahoe Middle School is currently used for ambulances and their key staff as well as another location at the Lake Valley Fire house in Meyers. Three ambulances are housed at the fire stations, and with a new ambulance being purchased for emergencies in the basin there will now be a dedicated older model with on new chassis used for the IFTs. New staff is being hired to just transport patients out of the Tahoe Basin.

The fire chiefs of both Lake Valley Fire Protection District and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue are part of the Cal Tahoe JPA along with two members of each of their boards. Ryan Wagoner is the executive director and he now has an assistant to help with day to day operations. City Council members on the Cal Tahoe board are Tom Davis and Brooke Laine, with Dave Huber and Bob Bettencourt the members from the Lake Valley Fire Board.

In February, 2015, SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston gave a presentation to City Council, outlining the growing ambulance expenses for the City, Lake Valley and the JPA, expenses without compensation. He said it was time for the County to "pay up."

The cost of the growing number of IFTs were one of the main reasons the City of South Lake Tahoe reorganized their department, staffing ambulances with EMTs and paramedics instead of firefighters. SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston said at the time that he didn't want the City left without a full staff to handle emergencies when some had to be on the ambulance to transfer patients. After the reorganization, firefighters stay in the Lake Tahoe basin.

And now, the County will start paying Cal Tahoe more money for ambulance transportation services through August 31, 2019.

Cal Tahoe JPA will get a one-time amount of $320,000 to buy a new ambulance, up to $7,000 for reimbursement on software, tablets on each ambulance as well as the other funds.

For their part, Cal Tahoe will be purchasing software required for required pre-hospital care reports. For each report not filed within five days the County will deduct $250 from the Cal Tahoe payment, and deduct $1,000 for every report not completed correctly.

Cal Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (or "Cal Tahoe") was formed in 2001 as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to provide ambulance services to the west slope of El Dorado County and parts of Alpine County.

When the contract between Cal Tahoe and El Dorado County expires in 2019 they can apply for one year extensions.