Emergency medical services in eastern Montezuma County should be faster and more reliable beginning in April.
Southwest Heath System plans to staff the ambulance station in Mancos with a driver and medic on call around the clock starting April 3. They will respond to calls in the Mancos Fire Protection District, which includes areas off U.S. Highway 160 from the Sleeping Ute Rest Center to the Montezuma County line, said Scott Anderson, emergency medical services supervisor for Southwest Health.
Medics will respond to homes and businesses off Colorado Highway 184 from Mancos west to County Road 33. Previously, the service stopped at Summit Reservoir. Medics also will respond to calls in western La Plata County when Durango Fire Protection District needs help.
“The response times will be much quicker,” said Haley Leonard, a spokeswoman for Southwest Health.
An ambulance takes 17 minutes to get to Mancos from Southwest Memorial Hospital, she said.
Patients who need an ambulance will be taken to the nearest appropriate hospital. For example, a heart attack patient will be taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center, Anderson said.
The need for emergency services in eastern Montezuma County has grown in the past 10 years as the population has increased and the number of volunteers has declined, Anderson said.
“It’s difficult to recruit and retain right now, and that’s why we’re entering this agreement,” said Mancos Fire Chief Tony Aspromonte.
Last year, Southwest Health medics responded to 90 of the 298 calls in the Mancos Fire Protection District.
Southwest Health System has agreed to lease two ambulances from Mancos Hose Company No. 1 and part of the Mancos Fire Station for five years. After five years, the agreement will be re-evaluated, Leonard said.
“We wanted it to be long enough to get a good feel for it. More than likely, we’ll renew it in five years,” Aspromonte said.
The expansion will create six positions for Southwest Health System, but all 36 medics on staff will work in Mancos on a rotating basis.
“The goal is to make sure everyone is trained at Mancos,” Leonard said.
Mancos volunteers will still be called out to help, Aspromonte told the Mancos Town Board on Wednesday.
Southwest Health will also provide monthly training for Mancos volunteers and maintain the vehicles and facility in Mancos. Southwest Health staff will also take over the medical billing, Aspromonte said.
There will be an open house at the Mancos Fire Station in late April or early May for those who are interested in the changes.
Southwest Health also plans to build an ambulance station near the helicopter pad as part of the hospital’s overall expansion, Anderson said.
The emergency medical services department also sees the need for a Dolores station to decrease response times in communities north of Cortez including Dolores, Lewis, Arriola, Pleasant View and Rico, he said, but there are no definite plans for one yet.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
