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PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission is going to begin to look at the possibility of providing financial support to the Camden Clark Ambulance Service for the service it provides to the area.

Commission President Blair Couch said Thursday he was recently contacted by hospital leadership seeking financial support for the ambulance service.

“We are trying to figure out how much we can offer and what dollar amount are they asking for,” he said. “I’m getting those questions together.

“I need to have a legitimate number that they need and then we need to find what mechanism we need to fund it.”

Earlier this year, St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service announced it was ceasing operations at the end of March. Through a variety of efforts, the Camden Clark Ambulance Service took up the need to provide more coverage and was able to increase its size by around 40 people, hiring many of the people who previously had worked for St. Joseph’s. The county was also able to purchase some of the former St. Joseph’s ambulances for Camden Clark.

County officials have said ambulance coverage is more encompassing for the entire community with ambulances stationed at the Wood County 911 Center to better cover Interstate 77 and U.S. 50 as well at a station at the Southgate Center location to better cover the southside. Ambulances are also located in Vienna and Williamstown that allow for a quicker response.

Couch said he wants information on how other counties fund ambulance services, what kind of support they get from their local municipalities and so on. He wanted to see if an emergency services levy voters can vote on might be an option as that is an expense that appears on residents’ tax tickets and it could be easier to keep track of the money as opposed to a fee which has its own mailings.

An emergency services levy could also include money for sheriff, 911, the jail bill and other emergency services, Couch said.

With fees, officials would also have to determine what happens if someone doesn’t pay the fee.

Officials believe they will have to provide some kind of funding to help support the ambulance service. Right now, officials are looking at options they might pursue and look at.

That financial support would be weighed against what the county would have to pay to set up and maintain its own ambulance service. Couch believes it would be really expensive to do so he wanted to see what they could work on with Camden Clark.

“That won’t be cheap,” Couch said.

Even if the county wanted to set up its own ambulance service, Couch estimates it would take a year or two to get something in place and up and running.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo said he wants to review documents on how other counties handle funding ambulance services.

“I want to see some hard copies,” he said.

Couch said that information should be public and it would not be difficult to obtain.

Officials would also have to determine what happens if someone doesn’t pay the fee. Does the ambulance refuse to come to your home? Officials said they have a regular decline in people who are not paying the Wood County Fire fee. As it is set up, if someone doesn’t pay the fee and crews have to respond to a fire, the homeowner is responsible for up to $1,000 for the call.

Couch said he will be able to discuss the matter with some other county commissioners and municipal leaders from around the state during a meeting next week to discuss insurance coverage issues. He is planning to ask them some ambulance service questions.

“It is expensive to run an ambulance service,” Commissioner Robert Tebay said.

Couch said population also plays a factor as some parts of the state have seen steady population increases while the local area has seen a steady decline over a number of years.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department Board has the former CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital who has been advising Couch on different aspects the county needs to be aware of in dealing with ambulance services.

Still, Couch praised Camden Clark Ambulance for stepping up and being able to provide that service when St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service closed as well as hire a number of the former St. Joseph’s personnel.

“We were blessed to have Camden step in and say they would do it,” he said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com