Sedgwick County Commissioners approved a renewal agreement that designates the county's EMS as the preferred provider of ambulance transport between designated Ascension Hospital facilities.
The new agreement includes a 33 percent increase in fees, around $233,565 in all. An independent auditor determined that amount is exactly what it will cost the county to provide those services to the non-profit Ascension hospitals.
Commissioner David Dennis said he was disappointed that Ascension's competitor, Wesley, was not being charged for the same services. ”They are not paying anything for the transports. I do not believe that Sedgwick County taxpayers should be subsidizing a for-profit corporation,” he said.
Contract rates and terms may be changed in the future, as costs increase.
In other county news, commissioners approved a grant funding application from the Kansas Department of Corrections.
The grant, if awarded to the county, would be worth just over $370 thousand, and would add 6 full-time employees to provide behavioral health services at the juvenile detention center.
Commissioners also approved zoning changes to Wichita's Old Town to allow tattoo and body piercing facilities. The Wichita City Council approved this measure last month. Under the agreement, services would be by appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The commission also approved Sarah Lopez as a voting delegate and Jim Howell and David Dennis as alternates for the Kansas Association of Counties 48th Annual conference and exhibition. The meeting will be held in Wichita in early December.