Public meetings: Ambulance Quality Assurance Committee
August 3rd, 2007 by 
jtatefinn
After a month of having the new ambulance law in effect, Brandon has its first applicant to provide the city with 911 medical service: MED-Star Paramedic Ambulance, Inc.
The newly appointed three-member quality assurance committee has yet to set a date to review the application. Thing is, even though this is a mayor-appointed committee, the review process most likely won’t be public, according to City Administrator Dennis Olson. This is, in large part, due to the fact the committee will oversee the background checks of MED-Star’s employees.
The three members include Dr. Nicolas Van Es, a physician with Sanford Health in Brandon, and residents Mary Brooks and Bonnie Petersen, a certified nurse practitioner at Sanford Health Clinic in Brandon.
While I understand the need to keep things like social security numbers and home addresses private, I’m not sure I agree that the entire review process remain closed to the public. When the final recommendation is presented to the city council, I want to know what the decision was based on, considering the numerous requirements on the ambulance service application form. (Check out the requirements here. Click on “404,” then scroll down to “6-7-23.”)
What do you think? Would you have any interest sitting in on the review process or is hearing the recommendation (perhaps with or without explanation - we’ll hope for the best and assume *with*) presented at city council enough?
Posted in Ambulance | 
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 am
I most definately want to sit in. I would expect that the social security numbers would be blacked out.
The employees of this company will be entering our homes and dispensing drugs (including narcotics) and we have every right to know who they are, and if they have proper credentialing. We also have the right to know what criteria the background check involves. What exactly does a background check show? Criminal record? Driving record?
All of Brandons city employees are listed in the paper, why would this be any different? So are our school employees.
Open government is part of this country for a reason.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Will our council hire MedStar because they are the only ones that have applied? or will the determination be made on qualifications and experience?
August 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am
how much do you know about Rural Metro employees?
Drop the chip. If they have a state licence for being a Paramedic, they have the exact same qualifications as anyone in the state.
God forbid you had an accident on the interstate near Mitchell and didn’t know the responders background.
Get Real.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Real Deal,
Oh, but you’re wrong. Obviously you are not a medical provider or you would know that not all paramedics have the exact same qualifications as anyone else. You just can’t make a blanket statement like that.
Referring to your statement…”How much do you know about Rural Metro’s employees?”….How much do you know about Med-Stars employees??
I know that if you work for Rural Metro they have an internal point system for infractions and 1 dwi gets you fired. What’s Med-Stars policy? No one knows unless they see their plan and that’s what this whole thread was started for. But sounds like the public won’t get to see that information because the city is closing the meetings.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
One of the questions I believe the oversite committee should be asking is “How many years of experience do the Paramedics have? Is the public entitled to that information?
You notice no reference to any service - I think most people would love to have an paramedic ambulance in town, but I think they also want a reliable and financia viable service with e experienced qualified personnel.
An ambulance service is more then a clothing store that close overnight without deadly consequences.
August 6th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
I am a paramedic and yes, ALL people licensed in South Dakota as paramedics have the SAME qualifications. Do you know names, address, personal backgrounds of volunteer firefighters? Sherrifs deputies? Mail carriers? UPS drivers? Police? These are people who enter your home, some carry guns.
Look, you’re retarded. You want a different standard because you hate Med Star. That’s what it comes down to.
Let the city do its background check, and keep the results confidential. You have no right to this information other than to be mean spirited and nosy. If there’s a negative item, then that’s private. It’s a personnel matter, which means private matter.
And Ruby, you never answered the question. How much do you know about Rural Metro’s employees? You spout off with garbage about duis and some point system. That’s not even related. Entirely non sequitor. Do you know anything about them? They were entering your home, dispening drugs for years. Better get digging. Hire a PI. Get to the bottom of this mystery.
August 6th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Mr Anonymous Paramedic,
Firstly, I’m not retarded and I don’t resort to name calling, I feel bad for you that you do.
Secondly not all paramedics/Dr’s/Nurses are qualified the same. Just because you have a license doesn’t mean you’re equally qualified. Why do some people interviewing with the same bachelors degree get hired over others? Do you believe an RN that just graduated is qualified to work independently in the ER? Do you believe that a pediatrician is as qualified to treat an aging cancer patient as an oncologist? Do think a paramedic that has never started an infant IV is as qualified as one that has started a 1000 of them?
I don’t want addresses and personal information. I want to know my family’s safety is being protected from potential staff that have issues (thus….criminal background check) Would you put your child in a car with someone who’s had a dwi??? I wouldn’t. How do we know the ambulance driver hasn’t had 10 speeding, tickets, 3 accidents and a dwi? Don’t jump to conclusions here, I never said I think they have any, just that the public has a right to know. Rural Metro included. Any reputable company doesn’t have a problem providing this information. Every hospital REQUIRES it of ALL staff with patient contact. Besides that, the application doesn’t even ask the some of the really important things like” is your business financially sound,and have proof of this for at least 5 years? How much experience in the field do any of the EMT’s or Medics have? Not the minimum of if they have a license. Duh!!! If my good dress has been damaged, it can be replaced. My life can’t.
PS, what is sequitor? I can’t find a definition. Scary to think you don’t think dui’s are related to ambulance services.
No mystery, just common sense.
August 6th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
PS, no I don’t know all that about the careers you listed. But firefighter’s, Mail carriers and UPS drivers don’t drive ME anywhere and they DON’T give me drugs and shock my heart. And police officers uphold the very things I’m worried about. I’m pretty sure they have plenty of requirements in order to stay a police officer and employed.
August 7th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Ruby, I do not concur with the language that Anonymous used, i.e. retarded, but I do agree with what I think he/she is trying to say. First of all, all paramedics, EMT’s, and first responders have to pass not only state tests and practical exams, but national test and practical exams, too. All prehospital workers are held to the same minimum standards.
Second, we live in Brandon, SD. I am not convinced that a paramedic company just starting up is going to be able to attract experienced paramedics. However, all paramedics have had to start IV’s, intubate, and administer medications as part of their training and internships.
Third, paramedics are like any other healthcare worker. God forbid, but if you were admitted to the ICU because of an illness or accident, are you going to insist on seeing the background information for every doctor, nurse, patient care tech, lab tech, xray tech, et cetera, that might play a role in your care and recovery? Probably not. You make the assumption that the hospital would not hire unqualified people, or people that have questionable backgrounds. It is no different with an ambulance service. If nothing else, consider the fact that if a paramedic makes a mistake, not only can the paramedic be sued, but the ambulance company they work for can be sued, as well. Only an idiot would put ‘loose cannons’ on the street and expose their company to a potentially catastrophic outcome.
Other than someone running for president, congress, or the senate, I am not aware of any other occupation that would call for the background information of its employees to be made public record. More to the point, Ruby, since Rural Metro has and continues to cover Brandon, why are you not insisting on seeing the backgrounds of their paramedics?
Let’s face it…this entire ambulance issue has been a farce from the beginning, i.e. the way it was presented to the public, the politics, the apparent conflicts of interest, the way it was written, the unfair accusations and character assassination of MedStar and its owner, and unfounded rumors. I suggest that those of you who are vehemently opposed to this ambulance issue and/or MedStar being the service that covers Brandon start a petition drive to have it overturned.
August 9th, 2007 at 8:18 am
just remeber all that the Paramedic Certifications are a set of national standards, (minimum criteria) yes the basic minimum it takes to be considered competent.
So yes experience does count for something.
And as for the attacks on Medstar, maybe if they were more forthcoming, and the owner didn;t act like a politician.
All tlak then does the opposite.
Yes he deserves the attacks, he has put himself in the limelight, time to take the heckeling.
August 9th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Heres a thought….just because the council has passed the ambulance ordinance…that does not mean we HAVE to hire an ambulance company. Use the facts presented and choose what is best professionally for our citizens.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Why doesnt the Brandon Fire Dept just start their own Ambulance Service, like Dell Rapids and Garretson do? And have the fire station staffed during the day? Just wondering
August 9th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
New Resident,
That has been mentioned and I personally think it’s a great idea, and other communities do it. (combine volunteer and paid) The fire department would in essence be separate from medical. Here’s what would have to happen… it would have to become an ALS service rather than BLS which means they would have to hire and pay for a paramedic. Also that paramedic would have to have experience running a service, not just running calls. (things such as medical direction, protocols etc. Don’t get me wrong, there are those paramedics out there.
The problem lies in that we were getting free service from Rural Metro. It’s been studied and proven that a city must have about 600 calls a year for a service to sustain itself and turn a profit, and we only have about a 1/3 of that. We’re really in the middle at this point. If you go back on this blog to some of the other threads you will see all the discussion on this topic. Thanks for asking.
August 12th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
It would take 600 calls if all you did was run 911. You have, now and in the past ‘citizen’, conveniently neglected to mention the fact that the bulk of Jay’s business, in fact all of it, presently dervives from non-emergency transports and things like doing race coverage standbys.
So, while I couldn’t care less either way, I do get tired of people spouting numbers they don’t reference (what is your source?) or leaving out items inconvenient to their argument.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
anonymous,
So are you saying MedStar gets paid to do race standbys? At Husets? Or Rock Rapids? Mr. Rubins Track? Mr. Rubin that sits on Brandons City council? MedStar gets a paycheck from Mr. Rubin?
August 19th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I’m not looking at Jay’s books. Maybe you need to ask the people who either A. write the checks, or B. cash them. Don’t beat up the straw man anymore. Again, your sources for these purported claims?
August 21st, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Can you say… South Dakota open meeting law?