County hears woes of ambulance services
By Donna Comella

Tuesday, local leaders heard a plea to support future county-wide emergency medical services.

Addressing the Wayne County Board of Supervisors, Frank Edward said that the issue of contracting for ambulance services has been forced by the loss of an ICU at Myers Hospital in Sodus. Although the ViaHealth facility continues to have full service emergency care, patients who require Intensive Care, must be transported either to Newark or to Rochester.

Edward, who is Emergency Services Director at both Newark and Myers Hospitals, said that currently, the facility requests an ambulance from Rochester, but that what's needed is 'to base a good EMS ambulance at Sodus.' He continued that, although the volunteers are excellent, they are only on duty 25 percent of the time.

'The need at Myers is urgent,' Edward told the board, explaining that it is 'not pleasant' to wait '45 minutes to an hour, sometimes two hours' for a transport.

According to Edwards, there is growing grass roots support for a move to contract ambulance services, and the board needs to consider this future goal.

In other business, supervisors:

Appointed Tom Biddle, of Mason St., Newark as Election Commissioner to fill the term of Leo Jenkins, set to expire December 31, 2000.

Authorized a retirement buy-out for Billie-Ray Walker, who heads the County's Youth Bureau. Walker will receive $4,640 on her retirement date of December 24, 1999, in lieu of taking her earned annual leave and for remaining on the payroll until February 7, 2000.

Authorized a new roof for the Wayne County Action Program building, accepting a bid of $21,900 from Nicoletta Building Contractors. Saying she had a 'problem' with the bids, Marion Supervisor Monica Deyo voted no. Work on the leaking roof is to commence immediately.

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