Daviess County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to allow Judge-Executive Al Mattingly to negotiate a final agreement with Evansville-based Deaconess Hospital to serve as the backup ambulance provider for Daviess County and Owensboro. This vote comes after a months-long debacle between the city, county and Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, in which OHRH president and CEO Greg Strahan refused to reinstate the hospital’s agreement to provide backup ambulance services.
Mattingly expressed his disappointment with OHRH and Strahan, for refusing to reinstate its decades-long contract to provide emergency backup services to the community it serves.
Mattingly said county attorney Claud Porter had been instrumental in drafting and revising the initial document, which is now in the hands of Deaconess Hospital administration for review. He then referred back to the last seven months of attempted negotiations between local government entities and the hospital.
“It became apparent that Owensboro Health was choosing to relieve itself from any responsibility for the safety and welfare of the citizens in Owensboro and Daviess County,” he said. “Their attorney notified us that they did not believe the current agreement with the hospital was valid–and even if was valid, they were notifying us that their intent was to not renew the agreement.”
Fiscal Court was then approached by Deaconess after they discovered a backup ambulance provider was still being sought by Daviess County leaders.
“Out of courtesy to the hospital, I called their board chair and tried to work out our differences. City Manager Pagan and I had several meetings and conversations [with Owensboro Health] but, in the end, we couldn’t come to an agreement,” Mattingly said.
After sending OHRH some revised proposals, hoping they would reconsider their decision to not provide backup ambulance service, Mattingly was notified on Tuesday that the hospital had rejected all of the sent proposals.
“The hospital continues to stay with their first and final decision,” he said. “They stated they would participate with a $50,000 subsidy, with no comment regarding the backup.”
In order to receive the subsidy, the hospital said city and county leaders could not negotiate a backup agreement with any other competitors although OHRH’s continued refusal to provide backup ambulance services.
“The hospital CEO, in my opinion, seems to have a fixation when it comes to linking issues together. I must say I’m disappointed with the lack of leadership by all board members, as well as the professional staff regarding this issue,” Mattingly said. “I’m also disappointed with the strong-armed tactics employed by hospital leadership in trying to change the bylaws to the ambulance service. I guess that’s what you get when there’s a healthcare monopoly in our community.”
