Floyd County, Indiana considers options other than New Chapel for ambulance service

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The clock is ticking on the June 1 deadline that Floyd County, Indiana would lose its ambulance service.

Floyd County, Indiana officials are racing against the clock to secure a new ambulance contract before.

There is almost nothing more important to Mark Richardson than a reliable ambulance service.

“A person that has had a stroke doesn't have but three minutes to get to a hospital," Richardson, 60, and the survivor of four strokes, said. “I was fortunate to be at the doctor's or at the hospital when I had them."

And a life on wheels has landed Robert Reeve in the back of an ambulance more than once.

“If I fall and hurt myself to where I need an ambulance, I would like for one to show and take me to the hospital,” said Reeve.

New Chapel EMS provided ambulance service for much of Floyd County, until the former head of the company Jamey Noel was accused of using the companies' resources to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Now, Floyd County has six options for new service to choose from:

The first would provide ambulance service for the entire county at a cost of $127,000 a month or $1,535,004 a year.
The second would also provide countywide service, with fewer ambulances. The cost is $78,000 per month or $936,996 a year.
The third does not cover the entire county and costs $111,000 a month or $1,343,004 a year.
Options 4 and 5 are not being considered.
The sixth option covers the entire county and is $78,000 a month for the rest of 2024. That goes up to $115,000 a month for 2025-2026.

WDRB is told option six is the preferred option, allowing the county to explore adding an ambulance service to the fire department or starting a county-owned and operated service. Regardless of the path they chose, it will be more expensive.