San Tan Valley contracting with AMR for ambulance service

The San Tan Valley Town Council has unanimously voted to enter into a contract with American Medical Response to provide ambulance services for residents.

The contract was approved at the council’s Oct. 7 meeting.

AMR has been servicing unincorporated San Tan Valley since 1984 under a certificate of necessity issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services. The certificate provides for emergency ambulance service within an approved service area.

But the new contract for the town is expected to improve response times, putting it on par with other AMR municipalities in Pinal County.

“The existing (certificate) sets faster response times for Casa Grande, Florence and Coolidge and allows for longer response times for unincorporated areas,” Town Attorney Allen Quist told the council. “We’re currently under those longer response times under the (certificate). This agreement before you tonight would establish faster municipal standards for the town and its residents.”

AMR must respond to code 3 calls within 10 minutes 90% of the time, within 15 minutes 95% of the time, and within 20 minutes 100% of the time. The standard for code 2 calls is 20 minutes 90% of the time,” according to a staff report.

Under the new contract, AMR must provide the town with monthly performance reports, meet monthly with town staff and undergo quarterly performance reviews. AMR must also appear before the council semiannually for a performance review, the report continued.

“We understand the significance and the importance of the growing town of San Tan Valley, and since San Tan Valley has incorporated, it has been our intent … to ensure that AMR, as the provider in Pinal County, works to ensure that San Tan Valley has the right resources and appropriate resources to service the town,” Todd Jaramillo, regional director for AMR of Maricopa County, told the council.

AMR will provide all labor, vehicles, supplies and more at no cost to the town. The company is paid through patients’ health insurance.

“We as a council are trying to ensure that our residents are getting their lives saved in the most quick and appropriate manner possible,” Mayor Darren Schnepf said. “I think that’s what this contract is trying to do. It will move us up to those better response times with some accountability attached to it.”

The contract has an initial three-year term, with two optional one-year extensions. The contract still needs to be approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.