‘WILDTHING’ SUPPORTS MANUELITO CHILDREN’S HOME COMMUNITY, B1
Gallup Sun VOL 10 | ISSUE 485
www.gallupsun.com
July 12, 2024
The cost of an ambulance service
RISING PRICES, INCREASED DEMAND RAISE CONCERNS FOR GFD By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor
the program. On the flip side, Pairett estimated that the city could see a revenue increase of almost $1 million. The fee the city would pay will also be refundable. “This helps us recuperate some additional funds that we didn’t have access to before without it putting more burden on the citizens,” he said. Overall, Pairett sees the program as a major plus for the city and taxpayers. “The reason why it’s necessary is because right now the taxpayers are paying for the fire department to be here to respond to fire calls and medical calls and any emergency situations,” he said. “We’re never going to be making a profit; people don’t run a fire department or an ambulance service to make a profit. But the costs of providing these services are going up.” The council approved GFD’s RFP. Pairett said he would be coming back to council in the next couple months to explain the program and Public Consulting Group’s findings in more detail.
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uring a medical emergency, getting to the hospital as fast as possible can be key. That’s when ambulance services come in handy. But what happens when that service cost is too much for a patient to cover? According to GoodRx.com, the nation’s average cost of an ambulance transport with basic services was $940, and almost $1,300 for a ride with advanced life support. Gallup has two ambulance services: one private service through MedStar and the public service through the Gallup Fire Department. In an interview with the Sun, Gallup’s Fire Chief Jon Pairett explained the prices his department charges. A basic life support call, which happens when emergency medical service staff only transport a patient to a local hospital, costs $512 for the first mile, and then it’s $12.75 for each additional mile. On the other side of things, EMS personnel can provide an advanced life support level 2, which occurs when someone needs immediate potentially life-saving medication or attention. That service is priced out at $878 dollars for the first mile, and $12.75 for any additional miles. For some people, that cost is covered at least partially by a private insurance company or Medicaid. Medicaid covers about 30% of the cost, but what happens when someone can’t cover the full amount they owe? Well, cities and EMS staff lose out on some valuable revenue. Revenue that could be spent on supplies for the fire department and EMS
will submit personnel. currently use the program t he c it y ’s W H A T GFD PLANS program TO DO application ABOUT IT to the federal At the June government. 25 Gallup City But there is Gallup Fire Chief Jon Pairett said the Gallup Fire Department can receive anywhere Council meetone slight downfrom two to 15 calls for ambulance services in a day. In 2023, the GFD received 4,800 ing, Pa irett side: the city will calls for the entire year. This year, the department is already over 4,200. Photo i ntroduced a have to buy into Credit: Merrisha Livingston program that the progra m. could help bring Pairett couldn’t some money back to the city in New Mexico, and they’ve provide an exact amount, but he when it comes to ambulance received a total of $11 million, suggested that the city may have transportation. which equals out to a little over to pay about $400,000 to get into The Medicaid Ambulance $1 million each. Supplement program is a fedRight now, Pairett and the eral program that was intro- GFD are only in the first steps duced in New Mexico about of joining the program. Pairett two and a half years ago. The explained that the GFD had program helps publicly owned received a request for proposal or operated ambulance ser- from a company that would help vices get extra payments. These them get the program started payments help cover the gap and recuperate lost revenue. between what it actually costs The company is the Public to transport patients in emer- Consulting Group, and they actugencies and what they received ally helped build the Medicaid from Medicaid, mileage, and A m b u l a n c e S u p p l e m e n t other reimbursements. program. The program is only availThe GFD will only need to able to patients with Medicaid hand over their data showing It costs a lot of money to maintain an ambulance and all of its necessary equipment. A how many Medicaid patients cardiac monitor costs about $40,000 a piece, gurneys cost between $15,000 and $20,000, insurance. Pairett told the council that they transport via ambulances, and a new fully stocked ambulance can cost anywhere between $350,000 to $500,000. eight other ambulance services and Public Consulting Group Photo Credit: Merrisha Livingston
Third suspect in Gallup crime spree charged Staff Reports
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ma n from Little Water, New Mexico was charged by cr i m i na l compla i nt following a violent crime spree on the Nava jo Nation, which involved a series of shootings and murder. D ew ay ne G e or ge, 2 2 , a n enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge on July 9 and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled. According to the cr imina l complaint, on April 24, a family traveling south on U.S. Highway 491 reported to law enforcement that they had been followed, rear-ended, and shot at by someone sitting in the front passenger seat of a white SUV.
Nava jo Nation Police Department officers in the area were on the lookout for an SUV matching the description when they observed the vehicle heading southbound on U.S. Highway 491. Officers pursued the vehicle, which attempted to evade them before crashing. The officers took all three individuals in the vehicle into custody, later determined to be George, Rydell Happy, 30, and Brittania Navaho, 28. Further investigation revealed that earlier that day, George, Happy, and Navaho had been involved in a separate shooting incident in Gallup. Additionally, they were implicated in the murder of a man. Nava ho wa s cha rged by i nd ic t me nt w it h s t r aw pu rcha se of t he f i rea r m used i n
the murder and will remain in custody pending tr ia l. If conv icted, Navaho faces 25 years in prison. Happy was charged by crimi n a l compl a i nt w it h s econd degree murder and will remain in custody pending trial. If convicted of the current charges, Happy faces life in prison. If convicted of the current charges, George faces up to 15 years in prison. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI A lbuquerque Field Off ice investigated this ca se w ith a ssista nce from Nava jo Nation Police Department, the Nava jo Nation Depar tment of Cr i m i n a l I nve st igat ion s a nd the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney R. Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
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