Clay EMS Doing Well Under County Management

Clay County’s EMS service is doing well after a year and a half as an official branch of the county.

County Mayor Dale Reagan said he has been very pleased with the department’s performance so far. Reagan said they have started to see proper revenue coming in from the department since it serves as a primary source of local healthcare.

“We don’t have (a) hospital or emergency rooms,” Reagan said. “No Fast Pace (Urgent Care) or anything like that. And so we do have a doctor’s office here at the clinic, and they do a great job but they’re not open twenty-four seven. But our ambulance service is there twenty-four seven.”

Reagan said the department is still struggling with staffing but morale has been outstanding. Reagan said the county’s EMS Director Andrew Hall and Assistant Director Kyle Haney are both handling the situation well despite the budgetary constraints.

“Run volume goes up and goes down,” Reagan said. “It’s a good thing when it’s down, but it’s not a good thing. But it is as far as we don’t like to see people get hurt or be sick, but that’s how we get the revenue to come in.”

The county took over the department after problems developed with the city of Celina’s operations. Reagan said the department has added more administrative work for his office but he is still grateful to have a proper ambulance service in the county.

“My finance clerk, of course that took on some more work for her,” Reagan said. “But she’s a trooper and it’s working out well.”

Reagan said they are expecting to get a new ambulance unit arriving for the department in December.

“We’ve got another one on order that we should get probably about (next October), hopefully,” Reagan said.