By Patrick Sloan-Turner
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE, La. 鈥� For decades, Acadian Ambulance has provided the lion鈥檚 share of ambulance services not handled by East Baton Rouge鈥檚 own Emergency Medical Services, transporting patients from facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers and more in the parish.
But now, Mayor-President Sid Edwards has opened the door for a competitor, allowing Baton Rouge General to enter the market.
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鈥淲e are excited about the opportunity to better support patients in Baton Rouge and help ensure they get where they need to go quickly,鈥� said Meghan Parrish , Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Edwards made the decision over protests from Acadian, which argues city-parish ordinances require the mayor to consider 鈥渨hether the public convenience and necessity require,鈥� a new ambulance service.
鈥淲e definitely did not like the way it was done, because it did not follow the ordinance,鈥� said Acadian Director of Operations Porter Taylor.
Still, Taylor added that the company is 鈥渘ot interested in making it messy.鈥�
Officials in Edwards鈥� administration have acknowledged potential problems with how the new service was approved. They point out that an initial approval was granted before he took office.
鈥淏ased on the information that was discovered from the previous administration, the city鈥檚 ordinances were not followed,鈥� said city-parish spokesperson Falon Brown.
Yet Edwards ultimately granted BRG鈥檚 request, citing 鈥渢he purpose of competition.鈥�
Edwards鈥� team declined to comment on whether a need for another operator existed or how that might be determined.
Concerns about the process
The change began last year, under former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome鈥檚 administration. On Dec. 26, days before she left office, Broome sent a letter to BRG allowing them to provide ambulance service, writing that 鈥渁 need exists within the parish,鈥� documents show.
About a month later, after Edwards moved into City Hall, Deputy Parish Attorney Courtney Humphrey sent a Jan. 28 letter to BRG鈥檚 leaders saying Broome鈥檚 decision didn鈥檛 follow the rules.
Emails obtained through a public records request show BRG officials urging Edwards鈥檚 administration to reject the attorney鈥檚 interpretation. But they also show Acadian Ambulance pressing to stand by it.
鈥淚 urge you to ensure that all relevant written ordinances and processes to determine whether in fact a need for additional services exists, are followed,鈥� Taylor wrote to Edwards鈥� chief of staff, Lon Vicknair on July 2.
According to Taylor and Acadian, no need for an additional provider exists.
鈥� it appears that Baton Rouge General鈥檚 intentions are self-serving,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭o my knowledge, there have been no other health care entities in this parish that have expressed a need for additional ambulance services, including your own municipal EMS.鈥�
On July 14, Edwards issued a letter to BRG granting a request to apply for an ambulance service for nonemergency calls and emergencies when requested by city-parish EMS.
Avoiding 鈥榮omething messy鈥�
On Monday, Porter called BRG 鈥渇riends鈥� of Acadian Ambulance and said leadership from both will meet soon to figure out how to coexist.
He said he understands why Edwards made the decision he did, though he still said it was 鈥渢ough to swallow.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 going to work with Baton Rouge General because he has to,鈥� he said.
Porter said he thinks Edwards had to honor the Broome administration鈥檚 decision from December to avoid 鈥渟omething messy鈥� from BRG..
鈥淏ecause of the conflict of how things went down between the two administrations, you know, Mayor Edwards said, 鈥楲ook, what the previous administration did, I can鈥檛 really undo without causing a mess,鈥欌�� Porter said.
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