A Camden Clark Medical Center ambulance sits in the ambulance bay at the hospital’s emergency room Wednesday. (Photo by Kristofer McKenna)

PARKERSBURG — Camden Clark Ambulance Service is looking to increase its numbers to fill the void with the announced closure of St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service.

Earlier this week, St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service announced it was ceasing operations effective March 31. Officials with the company cited Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements not keeping pace with the company’s costs for providing service as one of the reasons for closing.

In a statement issued Wednesday, WVU Medicine Camden Clark President and CEO Sean Smith said they recognize the closure of St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service on March 31 will significantly impact 911 coverage in the area.

“CCMC officials are collaborating with the county to assess urgent 911 needs and determine the necessary support to ensure ambulance coverage for residents,” Smith said. “Any plan will require additional staffing and equipment, and we are actively working to secure these.

“CCMC is hosting open interviews for EMTs, Paramedics, EMVOs and CCT personnel.”

The interviews started Wednesday and are continuing today and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Camden Clark Medical Center Medical Office Building A.

Wood County Commission President Blair Couch said he met with the leadership at CCMC and had commitments that the hospital could take up additional ambulance service.

“They are trying to get people hired and on service,” he said. “Now we are trying to find them four to five ambulances,” Couch said. “They have calls out to a number of sources and they are trying to come up with a dollar figure.”

The applicants still have to meet certain requirements, including a drug check and background check as well as being qualified for the positions being sought.

“They are really opening it up to ex-St. Joseph’s Ambulance employees,” Couch said.

He did not know how many positions were being hired for.

“They wanted to hire as many as they could,” Couch said. “This is a critical issue for the county commission. We are happy we have this provider in WVU Medicine Camden Clark.

“They are wonderful and they really want to step up and take care of our community. It is all about the community for them.”

Although medical transports for appointments is important, Smith said their immediate focus is on providing ambulance services for those in need of emergency care as their ambulance service operates as a not-for-profit organization.

The Camden Clark Ambulance Service has a long-standing commitment to serving the area with state-of-the-art emergency medical services, he said.

“Our mission is to meet the health care needs of our community for a lifetime and that’s what we’re going to do in this process,” Smith said. “We are dedicated to maintaining the high-quality, timely, and advanced emergency medical care that our community has relied upon for years.”

Couch said there will be a discussion during this morning’s commission meeting about what kind of financial commitment the county might have to make as well as other possible sources of funding.

Commissioners recently appointed a Wood County Ambulance Advisory Board to oversee emergency medical services in the county. The group held its first meeting last Thursday.

If the county would have to bring in ambulance services, the advisory board would make recommendations to contract with a private company or do whatever needed to be done to provide that service, officials said.

The advisory board will be meeting again at 10 a.m. Friday at the Wood County 911 Center. Chairwoman Patsy Hardy said they could comment on the situation after the meeting on Friday.

Smith said they will continue to work alongside county officials to ensure the best possible outcomes for the community.

“Camden Clark’s goal remains clear: to safeguard the health and well-being of our community by delivering exceptional emergency medical services now and in the future,” he said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com