Transparency. That is what Forest Weyen, director of Monongalia Emergency Medical Services (Mon EMS) said the agency is trying to show voters about an upcoming levy that would provide additional funding.
“We’ve been transparent and open about this process the entire way,” said Weyen. “We’ve been very transparent with response times and numbers and expectations and what it really costs to run an EMS agency in Mon County – especially on the 9-1-1 side.
“We went to the county commission with the impending problem a couple years ago, and we’ve since worked with them in partnership with our two health systems and the county commission,” he said. “They’re all on board with the plan.”
A crucial part of that plan is the passing of the Mon EMS levy that asks voters to approve a four-year levy that will provide approximately $4,470,399 per year to help support the provision of EMS services in the county. The total cost of the four-year levy is $17,881,598.
“I think it was important for the county commission and everyone at both health systems to make sure that we are developing a plan that allows all the corners of Mon County to have access to EMS care – and realizing there’s a cost to that,” Weyen said.
Money from the levy would allow Mon EMS to continue to pay competitive wages and allow it to build much needed infrastructure like EMS specific stations and equipment storage as well as funding for standard medical equipment like heart monitors and new and maintenance of ambulances.
Weyen said supply chain shortages have massively impacted the time it takes to receive a new ambulance which are currently arriving almost two years after the approximately $500,000 vehicles are ordered. An ambulance needs to be replaced about every five years, he said, so the delay adds additional complications when budgeting for the future.
Over the past few years, several EMS agencies in the state have been unable to continue operations due to funding issues- we’ve seen EMS agencies in Mon County close just this year.
“At the end of the day, our police or fire or EMS – they’re the ones that you call when everything else breaks down,” Weyen said. “It’s one of those things where we can’t fail. We have to have a plan – we have to have a solution.”
Continuing efforts to remain as transparent as possible, Mon EMS is making sure the community is able to ask any questions they might have about the levy that would ultimately add somewhere between $20-$50 to residents’ annual property tax.
The agency recently added an information page about the levy to its website at monems.org/levy. Voters can go to find out more information about the levy and what the money will be used for.
Weyen said agency representatives will also be available for questions regarding the levy at any of several upcoming public meetings scheduled throughout October.
Currently, Mon EMS will be available to the public for questions at Triune-Halleck VFD on Oct. 5, Mason-Dixon Park on Oct. 12, Blacksville VFD Social Hall on Oct. 17, and River Road VFD on Oct. 19. All of the meetings will be held at 6 p.m.
There are also several other meetings in the works that have not been finalized yet, Weyen said, so be sure to follow Monongalia EMS on social media to find out about new meetings as they are confirmed.
Weyen also said any group interested in having Mon EMS come speak about the importance of passing the levy is welcome to contact them.
Supporting the levy helps ensure a sustainable, efficient, high-quality EMS service that reaches all corners of Mon County, Weyen urged.
“I hate asking people for money – we don’t like doing that,” he said. “But we also feel that the 20 or 50 bucks that you put in on a yearly basis is a really good deal to make sure that EMS is here for you.
“With all the growth that’s happening in this county – new roads and new developments – we’ve got to absorb all of that so we’re getting busier – and it’s hard to even keep up with what we’ve got going on now. It’s just going to get worse and I think we’ve just got to make smart steps and we need to make sure that we’re not doing stuff for one year or five years – we have to build infrastructure to last us.”
The agency wants to remain as transparent as possible and Weyen said he has been doing his best to answer any and all questions it receives. He encourages anyone with questions to attend a public meeting or reach out to the agency either through Mon EMS social media accounts, by visiting the website monems.org, or by emailing levy@monems.org.
“Our folks are really happy to be here and be part of this care,” Weyen concluded. “We hope the community continues to support us the way they have for a long time and know that we want to be here for today and tomorrow and be the service that lives, works, and plays here and that Mon county is proud of.”
