On the first day of the Española Hospital’s new cost-saving policy of operating only two ambulances, paramedics had to wait 12 minutes before they could respond to an emergency call.
Hospital Administrator Derrick Yu had predicted that such delays would not occur when he defended his decision to reduce the Hospital’s emergency fleet from three to two ambulances effective Monday.
But both ambulances were busy transporting patients when an emergency call was received Monday, a hospital document shows. One ambulance was transporting a patient to Albuquerque. The other was bringing a patient to the Hospital from an Española nursing home.
“(The emergency call) didn’t turn out to be anything serious,” Hospital Paramedic Siri Khalsa said when asked about the delay.
Khalsa would not offer any details about the call.
The delay nevertheless appeared to vindicate Española Fire Chief John Kitchen, who had warned that the cutting the Hospital’s ambulance fleet would cause slower emergency responses.
Rio Arriba County/Española 911 Center Director Marti Griego also voiced concern after Monday’s delay.
“We are gravely concerned about the cut (in ambulance service) and how it will affect public safety,” Griego said.
Griego would not discuss response delays but said the Center will now track delays resulting from the loss of the third Hospital ambulance.
The Hospital cut back on overtime for paramedics starting Monday to save money. Cuts in paramedics’ overtime could save Presbyterian $9,000 a month, Yu estimated. He also plans to cut overtime for other hourly staff.
“We’ve got to make ends meet,” Yu said. “If our financials improve, we’ll bring (the third ambulance) back.”
Yu does not plan to forego pay raises for salaried staff like himself, he said.
Even with the cuts, the Hospital may have to approach Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties for additional money, Yu suggested.
“If these cuts don’t work, we (will) have to turn to the counties we serve to make ends meet,” Yu said.
But Rio Arriba County already gives millions in tax dollars to the Hospital, County officials said. This fiscal year alone, which began July 2008, the Hospital will receive over $7 million from the County and state matching funds.
“The Hospital’s received $5.64 million from County property (mill levy) taxes and oil and gas revenues since July 2008,” County Treasurer Livia Olguin said.
The County has put another $352,841 toward the Hospital’s indigent care fund this year, County Comptroller Mary Louise Martinez said. That money is matched three-fold by the state, so the County’s $352,841 really means the hospital will receive $1.4 million for indigent care.
The Hospital gives the ambulance service $450,000 a year from County mill levy money, Yu had said. But the Hospital plans to give only $347,560 to its ambulance service, according to mill levy budget documents provided to the County.
Yu and Hospital Emergency Operations Director Bill Mauldin could not be reached for comment by Tuesday night.