LISBON
Lisbon residents will get the chance to voice their opinion on funding the town’s emergency medical services provider.
The Lisbon Town Council will conduct a public hearing at its 7 p.m. meeting today regarding EMS and the cost to the town.
Lisbon is working out how to pay for Lisbon Emergency, which has provided emergency services to the town at no cost. The EMS provider has previously relied on grant programs, but rising operating costs resulted in the provider asking for a $127,885 stipend for services. A subcommittee was formed to work with the provider before budget planning.
At the Town Council’s Jan.16 meeting, councilor Norm Albert said the subcommittee was ready to present goals and discuss the impact on the town’s budget at a public hearing, which will come tonight.
According to Albert, a number of factors were brought to light with regard to rising costs. Hospitals no longer replace supplies used by an EMS staff when responding to a call, leaving the provider to cover the cost. Discussions with Lisbon Emergency have also revealed a need for increased staffing, and rising training costs. In addition, vehicle maintenance and an increase in calls to Lewiston have contributed to the rising costs for the EMS provider.
After consulting with Lisbon Emergency, Albert said, the town must budget to maintain the current level of service provided. Lisbon is not currently not considering any other options for an EMS provider.
Town Manager Diane Barnes had previously stated that United out of Lewiston provided an option, when the issue first came up, but it would significantly impact response time to Lisbon.
Tonight’s discussion will revolve around maintaining the level of service to the community and funding that service.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less