To the Editor:

I am writing to respectfully clarify the recent article in the Innformer concerning Middlebourne EMS and discussions with Doddridge County Emergency Squad.

At the request of Doddridge County EMS, I met with their director for approximately 45 minutes. During that meeting, a proposal was presented involving Doddridge potentially absorbing Middlebourne EMS.

I made it clear that this is not a decision I have the authority to make. Any decision concerning the future of Middlebourne EMS, our organization, employees, property, vehicles and equipment belongs to our Board of Directors.

I also explained that Middlebourne EMS is currently operating within our means through our current revenue and remaining levy rollover funds. Like many rural EMS agencies, staffing is a challenge. I was honest about those challenges and acknowledged that none of us can guarantee what the future may bring.

For that reason, I was surprised and disappointed to read the following day that Middlebourne EMS had been characterized as a “disaster,” that negotiations were “going well,” and that a takeover was expected by the first of the year.

No agreement to be absorbed by Doddridge County EMS has been made, nor has our Board approved such an arrangement.

I want our community to know something else: Middlebourne EMS is not planning to close its doors. As long as we have the financial resources, qualified personnel and ability to safely provide care, we intend to be here serving Tyler County.

The proposal presented involves much more than providing payroll and benefits to our employees. It would mean giving up the Middlebourne EMS name and independent organization and transferring substantial assets–including our station, ambulances, response vehicle, equipment and supplies–to an agency from another county.

Those assets were accumulated over decades for the purpose of serving this community. They represent more than 50 years of work, public support and investment in Middlebourne EMS. That is not something that should ever be given away or transferred lightly. Any proposal involving those assets deserves careful consideration by our Board.

I want to be equally clear that this is not intended as criticism of Doddridge County EMS for presenting an option. We respect their agency and their willingness to talk with us. However, a proposal is not an agreement, and a conversation is not a takeover.

Our goal is not to compete with Tyler County EMS, Doddridge County EMS, Wetzel County EMS or anyone else. We simply want to provide the level of care we are capable of providing and be available when Tyler County needs additional help.

When an emergency occurs, the priority should be getting qualified help to the patient as quickly as possible. Minutes–and sometimes seconds–matter.

Middlebourne EMS isn’t asking anyone to guarantee our future. We’re simply asking that nobody else declare our future for us.

We are still here, and as long as we can responsibly continue serving this community, that is exactly what we intend to do.

Patricia Keller

Chief, Middlebourne EMS

Patricia.L.Keller