Chickasaw County changes ambulance service provider

Chickasaw County Supervisors voted to switch ambulance providers in hopes to provide better emergency medical response.

"just moved on to another company and looking forward to working with them."

Houston fire chief, johnathan blankenship, said the new ambulance provider is priority/ baptist ambulance service.

Blankenship said there will be two ambulances in the county.

One stationed here in houston and the other in okolona.

He said two ambulances isn't enough... sot: "that's not much.

I mean two ambulances to cover an entire county is not very much."

But he believes two is better than none... blankenship said the chickasaw county board of supervisors ended their contract with care-med because of lack of staffing.

He said there where times when his team couldn't have an ambulance with them on calls.

Sot: "it happened fairly frequently and didn't seemed to be any end in sight."

Although the county has a new provider, blankenship said there's another problem.

Chickasaw county doesn't have an emergency room.

Blankenship said emts have to drive to ers in tupelo, pontotoc, or calhoun county.

That means ambulances will still be unavailable sometimes.

Sot: "even when we have the two ambulances here that leaves them out of service for a minimum of two hours.

Sometimes more than that" the five year contract with the new ambulance provider starts tuesday..

Live in houston.

Alexis jones.

Wtva 9 news.

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