Pickens County Improves Emergency Response With 2nd Ambulance
Emergency medical response times have significantly improved in Pickens County with the addition of a second ambulance to cover the county.
Pickens County lost its only ambulance service, Northstar, last December due to financial issues. That forced the rural West Alabama County to rely on ambulance responses from Tuscaloosa and Lamar counties. Long distances and high call volumes created dangerously lengthy emergency response times when time matters most.
"We understand how critical healthcare is, how important it is to have response time cut to a point where it can save lives," said State Senator Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale) who worked with Rep. Ron Bolton and other leaders to address the problem.
The Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa stepped up and donated an ambulance to Pickens County. The college received a federal grant to purchase a new one for themselves and moved to improve local responses in Pickens County. It was based in Carrollton.
Now a second 24/7 fully staffed ambulance is part of the rejuvenated Pickens County, this one in Aliceville.
The financially strapped county is utilizing revenue from a one-cent sales tax initially created for the hospital to finance the new ambulance service and they hope to get help from voters to create a more viable funding stream.
In April, Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill allowing Pickens County voters to decide on a $10.00 vehicle license and registration fee to further fund the ambulance service. That referendum is expected in spring of next year and, if passed, would provide approximately $200.000 annually to support the ambulance service.
Sen. Allen says efforts must now focus on passing the referendum adding a third ambulance and restoring at least some hospital services, perhaps the emergency room.
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