Two Months After St. Mark’s Closure, Impact Being Felt by County EMS

Two months have passed since St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange closed its doors. Few people understand the daily impact of the hospital closure like Josh Vandever, Fayette County EMS Director.

“Mileage on our trucks is through the roof,” Vandever said. “That’s becoming a real challenge.”

With no hospital in La Grange, Vandever said ambulances must now take patients to hospitals farther away. He said the County used to replace one ambulance every year. Vandever said he now anticipates needing to replace three ambulances every two years. Fayette County EMS usually operates with four ambulances and crews on duty at any given time. Vandever said the department will soon add a fifth ambulance and crew to its on-duty rotation.

The increased mileage means ambulances spend more time away from the County.

“We’re getting into situations more frequently where there’s no ambulance or only one available in the county,” he added. “That’s stretching us thin and it’s pretty concerning.”

So far, Vandever said, that situation has not affected healthcare outcomes.

“I’m going to do everything physically possible to keep outcomes from suffering,” he said. “We’re certainly facing operations problems, and we’re dealing with that.”

Vandever said his department has always taken critically injured or ill patients to more advanced hospitals in Austin, Houston or College Station, even before St. Mark’s closed.

“The risk we’re put at is this: one of those times when there’s only one ambulance in the County, or we don’t have resources to manage an incident,” Vandever added. “That’s where the risk has increased. But luckily, so far, that risk hasn’t been realized. ”

In order to mitigate the risk, Vandever said, the Fayette County Commissioners Court may have to face some tough funding decisions.

“At the end of the day, the Commissioners and our County Judge are good people,” he said. “They’ve listened and worked with me in the past. I hope that continues.”