MORROW COUNTY — After months of negotiations and compromises, Morrow County has the support of local stakeholders on its latest draft of an ambulance service area plan and ordinance, which the Oregon Health Authority is reviewing.

Boardman Fire Rescue District, one potential ambulance service provider, has historically been supportive of the revised plan, but has not made any public statements on it in recent weeks.

Morrow County Health District, which had opposed previous versions to the point it announced it would stop providing ambulance services to the county starting March 12, approves of the most recent version of the plan.

Once OHA approves the plan, county officials will host town hall meetings for community feedback, incorporate changes and resubmit a final version to the state agency. Otherwise, the only thing left to determine is what entity, or entities, will actually provide ambulance service in the county.

Contract proposals

From the beginning, Morrow County Health District CEO Emily Roberts said the goal was to reach a mutually agreeable ambulance service area plan, ordinance and service contract. The health district now is on board with the plan and ordinance, leaving just the service contract to be determined.

The health district’s board submitted a contract Jan. 30 to the county. The contract, if signed, would designate the Morrow County Health District as the ambulance service provider for the county, a continuation of its role.

The county could choose to negotiate the terms of the contract, sign it as-is or not sign it at all, meaning the county would need to find another provider by March 12.

As of Jan. 31, no other providers had submitted proposals, but Morrow County Administrator Matt Jensen said Boardman Fire indicated it would submit a service contract proposal by Feb. 2 for the county to review.

Roberts said the health district’s proposed contract would override its previous notice to vacate services, meaning that there would be no change in service provision to the county.

The county’s concerns

The contract would require the county to cover the actual losses the health district accrues. Last year, those losses exceeded $1 million.

“It’s very common for a county to subsidize a service provider,” Roberts said. “We’re not looking to make a profit.”

But Jensen said the county takes issue with several parts of the contract. One is the loss coverage request, he said. He referred to a measure that passed in November 2023 approving tax funding to help support the health district in providing ambulance and other services to the county.

That funding is not mentioned in the contract as a means to help offset the health district’s losses, which Jensen said equates to the district asking the county to use tax money to subsidize services it is already receiving taxes for.

While the county doesn’t expect to get a free ride and not pay any part of the cost of providing the service, Jensen said, the health district does have allotted tax money to support its services and the contract it sent does not indicate it is using that money to help offset its losses.

Another concern the county has about the district’s proposed contract includes a request for exclusivity to provide services, which Jensen said is illegal for the county to agree to.

“The health district has put themselves in a position where they’re abandoning the residents of Morrow County,” Jensen said, “and yet, they’re coming in saying, ‘We’re going to save everybody’s life, you just have to give us exclusive use of the contract.’ That’s not how an ASA works.”

The proposed contract also requires the county to give 18 months’ notice before terminating services, which Jensen opposes because it differs from the service plan and he believes is too long. The ambulance service area plan notes a three-month notice period for the county and the provider.

While the county may have its concerns, Roberts said the contract is based on other ambulance service contracts used around Oregon and Washington.

Subsidizing an ambulance service provider is commonplace, she said, “because it’s very difficult to break even providing ambulance service, even in a metro area like Portland, which we certainly are not.”

Roberts said the contract defines explicitly what the roles and responsibilities of the health district and the county would be, such as response times or payment schedules.

“This is time sensitive,” she said. “And if they execute this contract, there will be no interruption in services in the county. Things will continue as-is, all our staff will get to keep their jobs.”

Preparing to decide

Jensen said it’s the county’s responsibility to find the best provider option for the county as a whole, rather than making a decision based on precedent for providing service or a strict deadline.

It’s possible the service provider will be the Morrow County Health District, but the county also could select some other provider. Either way, the county must ensure there is no gap in services.

“They’re forcing our hands because of their 90-day notice,” Jensen said of the health district.

He said he hopes the Oregon Health Authority will provide its ASA plan feedback within the next week, which will allow the county to get feedback from the community before sending a final draft back to the state. Meanwhile, the county can begin to review proposed contracts and begin to negotiate terms with interested parties.

Jensen said he hopes to have the commissioners make a decision at their meeting Feb. 21, a few weeks ahead of the service provision deadline set by the health district.