WHITINGHAM — A recent subscription drive for Deerfield Valley Rescue (DVR) has resulted in a discouraging 20-percent response rate, prompting a discussion at the March 30 Selectboard meeting of how the town and the agency can work together to promote the value of a subscription to residents.
DVR Business Administrator Heidi Taylor, backed by a phalanx of DVR and Whitingham Emergency Response personnel, provided a general overview of the organization and described its activity in town.
The nonprofit - which maintains an annual contract with the town for $10,000 - made 87 calls to residents in 2015 that resulted in $61,000 in charges, of which $20,000 was written off as not collectable.
Because of higher deductibles and a shifting health-care landscape, many insurance policies fall short of full coverage for ambulance and other emergency services, Taylor said.
As for the agency's overall health, she noted that it needs to replace an ambulance and might soon face a challenge - “or an opportunity” - to move or upgrade its location.
She reported that the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, the site of DVR's Wilmington station, is considering moving to either the former Wilmington town garage or the high school.
If this move happens, it might force DVR off of the health center's property or, conversely, permit the agency to take over the health center facility for offices and overnight quarters for staff.
Taylor also described changes and challenges to the manner in which emergency services are reimbursed statewide.
In the past, emergency service providers like DVR have been eligible for only half the amount of Medicaid reimbursements granted to doctors and hospitals, which has put a tremendous pressure on rural emergency medical support (EMS) services.
Taylor reported that the good news is that state legislators have responded to EMS concerns by a proposal that would equalize the reimbursement levels.
The bad news is that the proposed measure includes a new “provider tax” that, she warned, will result in losses.
Board member Karl Twitchell commended DVR for having successfully completed “one of the best transitions in a long while,” a reference to DVR having taken over ambulance service for Whitingham and Halifax after Whitingham Ambulance Service Inc. disbanded in 2013.
He then asked whether DVR could expand its footprint and cash flow by taking over the services of the Whitingham town nurse.
Taylor quickly dismissed this idea as outside the scope of the agency, although she later acknowledged that she wasn't sure what services the town nurse actually provides.
The board briefly discussed a proposal, already floated past the Windham Regional Commission, of several towns joining forces for a regional nurse.