As of this week, Pauls Valley has a new ambulance service provider. American Medical Response (AMR) began providing ambulance service to residents Tuesday, taking over from Mercy Hospital Ada, whose contract with the city expired Aug. 31.
AMR was one of four providers, including Mercy, who submitted ambulance service proposals to the city in June.
A sister company to Air Evac Lifeteam, which already has a base in Pauls Valley, AMR was the low bid in June, coming in at $560,000 per year with a 3% increase annually.
AMR’s service also includes the community‘ s first emergency quick response vehicle (QRV). A QRV is a non-transport emergency vehicle staffed by a trained paramedic who can arrive quickly and begin advanced lifesaving care before an ambulance reaches the scene, something the company says is a critical tool in rural areas without a local hospital.
Because it remains available in the community while ambulances are taking patients to distant hospitals, a QRV helps maintain emergency coverage for the next 911 call.
“Rural communities need more than an ambulance. They need a system that keeps advanced emergency care available even when patients must be transported farther from home,” Rick Bigger, operations director for AMR, said in a statement released by the company Tuesday. “The quick response vehicle gives Pauls Valley another layer of protection, ensuring a highly trained critical care paramedic can begin lifesaving treatment while maintaining emergency coverage for the community.” AMR will provide 24/7 emergency care throughout Pauls Valley with two advanced life support ambulances staffed by highly trained paramedics and EMTs capable of delivering lifesaving treatment for critical emergencies, including stroke, heart attack and severe trauma.
“This isn‘t just where we work, it‘s where we live, raise our families and build our lives,“ said David Bolin, operations manager for AMR, said in Tuesday’s press release. “When someone in Pauls Valley calls 911, there‘s a good chance the paramedic or EMT responding is also a neighbor, a friend or a familiar face in the community. We‘re proud to serve the place we call home.”
