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The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will decide whether to move forward with switching ambulance services – potentially dealing a “fatal wound” to Riggs Ambulance Service, which has been the county’s primary ambulance provider since the late 1940s.
Over the last few months, Merced County officials worked to negotiate a new ambulance provider contract with American Medical Response West, Inc. The contract is scheduled to go up for a vote at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Before that, the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to consider a protest from Riggs. Merced County CEO Mark Hendrickson already denied Riggs’ protest, and now the company is taking it to the Board of Supervisors. If the protest is denied, the board will vote on the contract with American Medical Response.
The county contracted with a consultant to develop a request for proposals (RFP) that went out in May. Three companies responded to the request, including SEMSA and Falck Ambulance Services, and American Medical Response West scored the highest, county reports show.
County officials said the RFP process was necessary because Riggs was out of compliance with state response time requirements. Officials with Riggs, on the other hand, said the company struggled with staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when California relaxed its response time requirements, and since has bounced back.
Future service
Riggs Ambulance has provided emergency medical service throughout Merced County since the 1940s. The longtime family-owned company sold to the Nevada-based nonprofit Sierra Medical Services Alliance (SEMSA) in 2015 but continues doing business in Merced as Riggs. SEMSA also operates in Lassen and Modoc County and employs around 320 people total.
American Medical Response West, based in Texas, is part of Global Medical Response, the largest medical transportation company in the world, and operates in a number of U.S. states. The company provides both air and ground ambulances to a number of northern and southern California jurisdictions, including Stanislaus County.
In a statement to The FOCUS, AMR officials said they plan to hire local, eligible SEMSA employees to ensure continuity and a smooth transition.
“We look forward to working in close collaboration with Merced County’s leaders, healthcare providers, and residents, and we remain committed to providing EMS care of the highest quality,” said Daniel Iniguez, regional director for AMR, in a statement. “As we move through the contracting process, AMR is dedicated to transparency and engagement, eager to serve and make a positive impact in Merced County. Together, we can build a healthier, safer future for Merced County.”
Riggs and SEMSA Chief Operating Officer Carly Strong, who previously worked as an EMT and paramedic for the company in Merced, said losing the Merced County contract would be “almost a fatal wound” for the company.
Furthermore, Riggs officials dispute some details in the RFP scoring system and said the county left out vital information about the state’s response time requirements during the pandemic.
“It was during COVID, and all of us kind of were spread out and trying to manage the first pandemic we’ve had in 100 years,” Strong told The FOCUS in an interview. “So I think a lot of disinformation was being believed because nobody had enough time to really focus on some of the issues, and the system got a little bifurcated. Everybody was in their own pond, instead of being in one big pond together, working to make everything better.”
Past RFP conflict
This isn’t the first time Merced County has tried to switch ambulance providers.
In 2012, Riggs fought for two years to keep its contract with Merced County during a similar RFP process. Riggs pointed out flaws in the RFP process at the time, and ultimately won the contract.
Back then, the company faced scrutiny for its mutual aid requests to its neighboring and competing ambulance service provider, AMR, in Stanislaus County, but Merced community members rallied around the local company.
Josh Pedrozo, the board chair, told The Merced FOCUS in an interview he couldn’t say much since the AMR contract was under negotiation. He did say that since he’s been on the board, he has pushed to review more contracts when they are up for renewal to ensure the county is being a good steward of taxpayer money.
“We want to make sure that the constituents are getting the best service possible,” he said. “Whomever that may be, we owe it to the constituents to make sure that they feel safe, that they’re able to get the care in a timely fashion.”