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Ambulance service cut to rural area of Barry County

Posted at 4:35 PM, Jan 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-23 17:54:51-05

NASHVILLE, Mich. - Several small communities in West Michigan have lost their primary EMS service.

Nashville, Maple Grove, Castleton Township and other nearby areas have been impacted by the change.

Here's what happened.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says that the Barry County Medical Authority oversees the Castleton-Maple Grove-Nashville EMS Agency.  On January 16, they withdrew their oversight.

That oversight is a requirement in Michigan and EMS agencies must have supervision from their local medical control. So, without it, the local EMS license is no longer valid.

The MDHHS says that private companies and the Tri-County Medical Authority, which is near Lansing, is providing ambulance service to the area.

FOX 17 went to Nashville Tuesday and stopped by the ambulance headquarters.  The building was locked with two ambulances inside and no one was there.

The MDHHS says the area may be missing a company, but people will still get EMS services when they call 911. One viewer contacted FOX 17 this week telling us that EMS was slow in Nashville and surrounding areas.

We left messages with the Barry County Medical Authority Tuesday to find out why they withdrew their oversight, but they have not returned our calls.