Commissioners Honor EMS Practitioners Ahead of EMS Week, Approve Contracts and Agreements, and Provide Update on Repayment Status of $200,000 Loan to Bucktail Medical Center
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN– The Clinton County Board of Commissioners held their bi-weekly meeting Thursday morning and covered a variety of topics ranging from a proclamation declaring May 19-25, 2024, as EMS Week in the county to an update on the status of the $200,000 loan granted to Bucktail Medical Center to keep it in operation. The meeting also covered other county initiatives, including various social services contracts, I.T. renewals, the Broadband Ready Communities Program, and new personnel at the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services following its hiring event in April.
Commissioner Harding read a proclamation declaring May 19-25, 2024, as EMS Week in Clinton County to recognize local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) practitioners for their work. EMS Week has been celebrated in May every year since 1974 to show our gratitude to EMTs and paramedics who provide lifesaving care. This year’s theme, “Honoring Our Past, Forging Our Future,” highlights the progress that the EMS profession has made in the past 50 years.
Gerard Banfill, Lock Haven EMS Chief, attended the meeting to speak about EMS Week on behalf of Tim Nelson, Executive Director of Seven Mountains EMS Council, who was not in attendance. EMS Week is an opportunity to recognize pre-hospital EMS practitioners for their many hours of training and delivering care to Clinton County residents and visitors. According to Nelson’s prepared statements, there are 12 EMS agencies licensed in Clinton County that operate a total of 22 ambulances and nine Quick Response Vehicles (QRV). In 2023, there were approximately 5,400 EMS responses in the county, roughly 83% of them for emergency scene requests. Most EMS providers in the community are volunteers who devote countless unpaid hours to preparing, training for, and responding to emergency calls 24/7, 365 days a year. “We hope that everybody can find a way to celebrate each other during EMS week and continue to help keep EMS strong in our county and neighboring counties,” Banfill said.
Several Clinton County EMS personnel attended the meeting and were presented with a certificate to honor their dedication and commitment to serving our community in times of crisis. The emergency responders in attendance were as follows:
– Kettle Creek Ambulance: Mary Hirst
-Bucktail Medical Center Ambulance: Jodi Button and Delmar Blackwell
-Lock Haven EMS: Darren King, Christina Hall, Gerard Banfill
-Goodwill EMS: John Barrett, Samantha Alexander, Alvin Stotzfus
-Seven Mountains EMS Regional Council: Cathy Grimes
-County Staff (Planning) and recent EMS Certificate recipient: Beth Whitty
-Director of Clinton County Department of Emergency Services: Jonathon Plessinger
Cathy Grimes from the Seven Mountains EMS Regional Council spoke during the meeting to express her gratitude for the EMS personnel in the county. Grimes has been involved with regional councils for over 40 years and expressed that she has seen a lot of changes in that time. “I’m proud of you people and what you do out there– I see what goes on, and it’s difficult. I would hope that our Regional Council has tried to support you throughout the years, and we will continue to do so,” she said.
In other news, the commissioners passed a resolution to authorize an application for the Broadband Ready Communities (BBRC) Program. The program is designed to help communities prepare for and welcome high-speed internet providers with the goal of making it easier for internet providers to bring fast, reliable internet (broadband) to the area. If Clinton County meets certain criteria, BBRC recognizes it as “Broadband Ready,” which tells internet providers that the community is ready and willing to support new broadband projects that enhance internet in schools, businesses, and residences.
During the commissioner’s previous meeting on Monday, Tristan Rock, Assistant Director of Clinton County Children and Youth Services (CYS) presented three contracts pertaining to the agency for the board to vote on.
The board approved the first contract for attorney legal services that are provided to CYS and the juvenile probation office at a rate of $100.00 per hour, which includes a $10 hourly rate increase for attorneys appointed by the agency. The increased hourly rate will apply to 15 attorneys who provide services to the agency, effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Next, the commissioners approved contracts between Clinton County and four local service providers to help meet county residents’ social services needs through the Human Services Development Fund (HSDF). The HSDF offers support for various county programs that aim to provide assistance to low-income individuals, seniors, and those with disabilities or addiction issues. Contracts were approved for Clinton County Community Connections, Inc., Confer Home Health Services, LLC, the Infant Development Program’s Early Intervention Services and the Parents and Children Together (P.A.C.T.) Program, and the Annie Halenbake Ross Library.
The board approved a professional services agreement for information technology services from the Lycoming County CYS for the case management system used at the Clinton County CYS agency. The agreement went into effect in July 2023 through June 30, 2024.
Clinton County I.T. Director Ernie Jackson presented three items for consideration during Monday’s meeting regarding renewals and software used by county employees. Approval was granted for a one-year renewal with IBM for a software subscription and support for the IBM Spectrum Protect Suite at a cost of $13,887.20. A one-year renewal with Micro Focus Software support at an annual cost of $20,153.15 was also approved. Last, the commissioners approved a one-year contract renewal with Microfocus for email retain support and licensing at a total cost of $9,190.88.
The commissioners approved an agreement for professional engineering and planning services provided by County Engineer Steve Gibson, not to exceed $9,500.00. Engineering and planning services will be for the purpose of helping with the construction and PENNVEST (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority) reimbursement process for a sewer project in Flemington.
The commissioners approved three positions to be filled at the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services, which has been in need of more 911 dispatchers. The three new Dispatcher Trainees will be paid an annual salary of $36,123.00.
Jonathon Plessinger, Director of the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services (DES), attended the meeting to provide some updates. The hiring event hosted by the DES last month turned out to be a success, as the three new dispatcher trainees came from that event. Plessinger reported that his department will be fully staffed once they complete training.
On Tuesday, May 21, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., the DES is hosting a cookout to thank EMS providers for their service and celebrate EMS Week. Plessinger invites the EMS community to come to the DES facility for a burger or hot dog to thank them for the work they do.
The county’s DES was officially certified as a Quick Response Service (QRS) to provide medical care when the need arises.
Last, Plessinger mentioned that UPMC personnel will be coming to his department on Monday, May 20, to speak to emergency responders about a smartphone app that
PulsePoint app, which can be used by both the general public and first responders
PulsePoint® Respond is a lifesaving smartphone app that notifies CPR-trained individuals of nearby cardiac arrests or emergencies requiring CPR. Using the app can significantly improve a person’s chances of survival in an emergency, as each minute without intervention reduces those chances by 7-10%.
When a 911 caller reports an incident of sudden cardiac arrest or a situation that requires CPR, both PulsePoint app users and trained EMS professionals are alerted simultaneously. The app provides the location and condition of the person needing help, enabling nearby PulsePoint app users to respond swiftly.
To conclude the meeting, Commissioner Harding provided an update about the repayment status of the $200,000 unsecured loan to Bucktail Medical Center (BMC) for emergency gap funding. The commissioners approved the loan in April to help the facility keep its doors open until it received its expected Critical Care Hospital Funding. Delayed Medicare and Medicaid payments for the months of March and April added to BMC’s ongoing financial struggle. The loan was approved just after the announcement of BMC’s long-term care facility’s closure, effective May 14, 2024.
Despite the grim outlook for BMC when the emergency gap funding was issued, the hospital managed to get back on track. “I’m very proud to report that Bucktail Medical Center has repaid that debt in full, and it was returned to us on May 3 in its full amount of $200,000.00,” Harding reported. “We continue to have meetings about every three weeks with legislators and elected officials and agencies of the state as well as rural health, everywhere from the governor’s office all the way down to the Board of Commissioners and the board at Bucktail Medical Center.” Harding further stated that the commissioners will continue to try to work towards a solvent and sustainable path for BMC, as it is the only full hospital still operating in Clinton County.
The commissioners will hold their next meeting on Thursday, May 30, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting can be attended in person in the second-floor conference room of the Piper Building located at 2 Piper Way in Lock Haven, and it is also available via livestream on the county’s Facebook page; search Facebook for “Clinton County Government”.