After having won a long battle with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care over land ambulance funding for unincorporated areas last fall, the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board now is taking on the province over the closure of the Judson Street Ambulance Supply Centre in Toronto.
The store supplies most municipalities in the province with their ambulances.
“They do all the negotiating with the suppliers,” Dan McCormick said at DSSAB’s monthly meeting here last Thursday night. “They get very good pricing.”
But the former Tory government under Premier Ernie Eves had decided to close the supply store.
“The previous government had decided that once ambulance was transferred to municipalities, they would close the Judson store,” noted DSSAB CAO Donna Dittaro.
While the government initially had decided to close the store in 2006, last fall it unexpectedly changed the date to March, 2004—without consulting the municipalities.
“This DSSAB’s been very vocal in our opposition to the closure. It will seriously affect our costs,” Dittaro stressed.
While McCormick said he did not have exact figures on how much more the ambulances would cost if bought directly through the manufacturer, he said he believes it would be considerable.
A district with a small population like Rainy River only needs to buy a small number of vehicles at a time—unlike larger cities where they order dozens of ambulances at once.
“With bulk purchasing, you get your equipment at a much better price. There’s just no way we can get those same kinds of deals,” Dittaro explained.
McCormick recently wrote a report on the Judson store and the effect its closure will have on smaller service managers, which was sent to the ministry.
“We very quickly had a call from the ministry. They said they’re looking for alternatives to the Judson closure,” Dittaro said.
What the province is proposing is a model where the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will negotiate directly with ambulance manufacturers on behalf of DSSABs in smaller, rural areas—ensuring they still get their vehicles at reduced prices.
“Right now that’s just a concept or a proposal,” Dittaro noted.
The ministry has requested a meeting with the local DSSAB via teleconference this week. “We’re really optimistic. We’d be agreeable to something like that,” Dittaro said.
She also noted this willingness on the part of the province to discuss issues seems to be part of a new trend.
“Ever since the [provincial] election, there’s been a lot more consultation,” Dittaro said.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
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