“Gibraltar meeting forum for ambulance discussion” from the November 21, 1974 Door County Advocate
Gibraltar meeting forum for ambulance discussion
By KETA STEEBS
Perhaps this isn’t an apt analogy but the Northern Door ambulance situation reminds me of an abandoned woman. Clyde Casperson can’t afford her; Sheriff Bridenhagen wants to divorce her and the county board is anxious to hand her over to the first good prospect who happens along.
The rest of us are somewhat in the position of worried relatives anxious to do right by our Nell but not sure where to start. We know if she gets the old heave-h0, we’re all going to suffer (those of us who live north of Egg Harbor and Jacksonport that is) and would feel a lot more comfortable if the poor girl had a permanent home.
Most of us have taken ambulance service for granted. Since 1929 the Casperson funeral home in Sister Bay has been on 24-hour a day emergency call. Clyde’s ambulances have performed faithfully in times of accidents, illness and death for the past 45 years but age, rising costs and state regulations are making his job increasingly difficult.
Last year the Casperson Ambulance Service was paid approximately $14,000 and spent about $17,000. After losing almost $3,000 in the process of answering 150 calls, Clyde has given final notice. As of midnight, Dec. 31, 1974 he wants out. He will, however, give the county a six month grace period if the proposed emergency, county service needs the additional time to get going.
Casperson, Bridenhagen, County Board Chairman Tom Herlache, Dr. Alfonso Tamayo, Ambulance Superintendent Fritz Brunswick, Health Planning Coordinator Pat Ryan, Rod Bohn and Rita Williams, members of the emergency medical services commission, appeared before 75 interested persons at an informational meeting Wednesday. The meeting, held in the Gibraltar high school gymnasium, provided a forum for information, questions and an exchange of views. Mrs. Williams served as chairperson.
Bridenhagen, an advocate of coordinated county wide emergency service, assured his audience his office would continue handling ambulance calls and provide service as long as necessary but he believes it should soon be a separate department “divorced” from the county’s law enforcement agencies.
The sheriff explained that up until about five years ago all emergency calls were handled by private funeral home directors. When the Sturgeon Bay directors withdrew Casperson agreed to continue on a temporary basis until another program was initiated. This program could either be a county project or private plan but in the meantime the sheriff’s department was saddled with the responsibility. Bridenhagen believes residents are entitled to the best emergency care available and trained personnel under the direction of a qualified coordinator, equipped with up-to-date ambulances, are the answer.
Herlache said money has been appropriated for this service (the new county budget has earmarked funds) but the county board had hoped Casperson would continue for another year. After sitting down with Clyde and his ledger, however, the finance committee realized the bind Casperson was in. Without paying his son Greg (who answered 77 per cent of last year’s calls) or his wife Mila (who does the bookkeeping) or Clyde himself a salary, the Casperson Ambulance Service was almost $3,000 in the red.
Herlache said the alternate county proposal, requiring a minimum of three fulltime attendants, equipment and housing, would be expensive but costs can’t be measured in terms of lives. An effective county-wide emergency service will undoubtedly cost residents increased property taxes in the future but quality care, like everything else, is expensive.
Dr. Tamayo suggested using Nor-Dor clinic in Sister Bay as an emergency center whenever possible. The Chief of Staff at Door County Memorial Hospital also stated that it would be best not to transport critically ill patients past the local hospital (for example to Algoma) when we have excellent facilities and experienced physicians right here. If a patient requires Green Bay’s more extensive and sophisticated facilities he could be transferred later but immediate life-saving measures could be taken in the local emergency room.
Tamayo complimented the county’s three EMT’s (emergency medical technicians) and said their expertise in keeping critically ill or injured persons in good shape with their vital organs functioning, improved recovery chances immeasurably. Sturgeon Bay’s doctors, Tamayo added, would be willing to spend time training EMT’s once the school gets started here.
Ryan said he believed the school would start in February or April at the latest. An 81 hour course, three hours a week for 26 weeks, is required and students are required to complete extensive tests before being licensed.
Bohn asked if three attendants would be enough to staff the north end and if adequate funds are available to get the county plan going. He compared the amount spent on fire protection with the proportionately lesser amounts being allotted to emergency medical attention.
Present plans call for three EMT’s in Sister Bay (plus additional drivers when needed) and two ambulances, one to serve as a back-up. Sheriff Bridenhagen has applied to the Fort Howard Paper Foundation for another fully equipped ambulance (free) but doesn't expect an answer until sometime in December. The cost of service south of the imaginary Egg Harbor-Jacksonport line is approximately $50,000 a year and northern Door service is expected to be slightly under that figure.
Herlache stated there was also a possibility of obtaining shared federal or state funding and Door county is number two in priority in receiving assistance (for an ambulance) from the Highway Safety Department. Goodman got the last one.
For those interested in statistics, Casperson said from Nov. 1, 1973 to Nov. 1, 1974, he answered 137 emergency calls plus about 20 “nuisance calls” (false alarms), and these calls were divided almost equally between the areas north and south of Sister Bay. He drove 77 per cent of his patients to Sturgeon Bay; 12 per cent to Green Bay and 8 per cent to Algoma. About 3 per cent were taken to hospitals out of the area.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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