Paramount working to keep tax-payer burden at zero

December 23, 2005 - Most people don’ think much about how basic services are delivered within a community, such as water, sewer, police and public works.  The only time we think much about them is when something goes wrong or an unexpected / larger then normal bill arrives in our mailbox.

Although small / rural community ambulance services have only been a given for about 30 years, the expectations that an ambulance will respond tin an emergency has entered into that “just there” land.

A little over two years ago, the East Dubuque Fire Department partnered with Paramount Emergency Services to provide ambulance services to East Dubuquers.  The number of calls and the level of medical care needed on many of the calls was just too great a burden for East Dubuque’s volunteer service to bear without the support of a professional service on call 24-hours per day, seven days a week.

The partnership has done well, say fire department personnel and city officials.  “We’ve had no complaints from citizens of the city,” said Al Griffiths, East Dubuque City Manager.

Paramount, with its 18 employees, is owned by Maria Ney, a nurse, who is assisted by her husband, Marvin Ney, services director and paramedic.

Paramount purchased the city’s ambulance ($35,000) and provides the service to the city without cost – the city pays nothing for the service.  In fact, the city is collecting money from Paramount for garage space at the fire house where one of the company’s ambulances is parked and ready to go. (Two other ambulances are garaged on 3rd & Locust St., Dubuque, Iowa, and a fourth vehicle is at the company’s office near the Dubuque Fairgrounds.) The company also pays a stipend to community volunteers who assist the ambulance staff.  The only funds the service collects from emergency runs are from patients’ insurance providers and from Medicare.  Providing service to those without insurance or who are unable to pay is just part of the package, says Ney.

Providing ambulance services is expensive and the company needs residents to consider asking for Paramount when they or a family member needs to be transferred from one facility to another.

“Those transfers provide us with a steady stream of money,” said Ney, “and enables us to continue to provide ambulance services to the city without burdening tax payers.”

For the first 11 months of 2005, Paramount responded to 195 calls.

East Dubuqe Register - December 23, 2005 - Page 1