GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Grand Haven Township's and Spring Lake's Board of Trustees voted Monday to replace the area's current ambulance service, Trinity Health, with Life EMS.
The search for a new ambulance provider began in June when members of the Grand Haven Area Ambulance Committee and officials with Trinity Health began to disagree on expectations for service and patient care.
WATCH: Life EMS selected as new ambulance service provider for Grand Haven Area
The Ambulance Committee is made up of representatives from Grand Haven, Grand Haven Township, the Village of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township, Ferrysburg, Robinson Township, Crockery Township and Port Sheldon Township.
While Trinity Health is in compliance with the standards set by the county's Medical Control Authority, Grand Haven Township's Fire Chief and member of the Ambulance Committee, Chief Shawn Schrader called the standards this summer the "bare minimum."
Speaking with trustees in Grand Haven, Schrader acknowledged the disagreement.
"We were on the different sides of the fence maybe [than] what we wanted to be,"
The memorandum of understanding will last for four years with a potential extension of three two-year terms. The agreement comes with new rules and expectations set by the area's ambulance committee, and will not result in higher taxes.
Memorandum of Understanding:
- Life EMS committed to a minimum of two ambulances within the response area.
- Life EMS committed to exchanging both ALS and BLS supplies with first response agencies.
- Life EMS committed to evaluating ambulance staffing in 6 months based on response time standards.
- Life EMS committed to providing an ALS ambulance standby at all fire scenes.
- Life EMS will invest in CAD-to-CAD communications with Ottawa County Central Dispatch.
- Life EMS will collaborate with a Community EMS Oversight committee to improve EMS for the service area.
Life EMS was one of three providers to place a bid. American Medical Response and Trinity Health also placed bids. Life EMS was the only ambulance service that could provide two ambulances in the service area and one ambulance standing by at all fire scenes, and doing without any subsidy.
Schrader said the new agreement will provide improved services at no additional cost to neighbors.
"As we develop that partnership with Life, setting those expectations, setting those standards, to constantly refine to improve services to our communities. That's what we're about," Schrader said.
While Spring Lake and Grand Haven Township both approved Life EMS as their new ambulance service, the city of Grand Haven, Ferrysburg, Robinson Township, and Crockery Township still need to hold a vote.
If approved, Life EMS will take over as the new ambulance service for the area next year, replacing Trinity Health who had been the area's provider since taking over North Ottawa Hospital in 2022.
