JEMS gets OK for training

Jay County wants to start training its own EMTs and paramedics.

Commissioners agreed Monday to shuffle some JEMS personnel to allow John McFarland, a paramedic who is becoming certified as a trainer, to move into that role in the near future.

JEMS director Eric Moore said he’s been in conversations with Jay Schools and John Jay Center for Learning about local EMT and paramedic training.

“We’re trying to keep the talent in Jay County,” said McFarland.

Currently, those seeking training have to go out of county. Many often stay with the organization that provided the training.

McFarland estimated he could schedule as many as three classes per year with an estimated 15 students per class, with those students paying $500 each.

“John Jay is really big on this,” said commissioner Barry Hudson, who serves on the John Jay board of directors.

McFarland would continue working as a paramedic in addition to serving as trainer.

“I’m going to be a working training officer,” he said.

Meanwhile, JEMS continues to run in the red and it’s not yet clear what impact a switch to an automated billing service — Accumed — is having on the emergency medical service’s finances.

Billing was interrupted during the switchover, in part because of commissioner Doug Inman’s resignation from office. He had been president of the commissioners and was designated on all the related contracts.

“Did August (collections) take care of April, May, June and July?” asked Hudson.

“A portion of it,” said Moore.

“Are they caught up on all the past claims and backlog we had?” asked commissioner Chuck Huffman.

That’s not yet clear. Huffman estimated that currently JEMS is about $120,000 in the red for the year, though there’s hope that amount will be reduced in months ahead.

In other business, commissioners:

•Decided to continue to rely upon the legal advice of county attorney Bill Hinkle during the process of potentially integrating Jay County Hospital with IU Health. Hinkle also serves on the hospital’s board of trustees and wanted to make sure that dual role was acceptable. “I think we should just use Bill’s opinion,” said Hudson.

Huffman added, “We know he has the best interests of the county and the hospital at heart.”

•Approved a drainage plan for a 4,000-square-foot addition to be built at Tyson Mexican Original in Portland.

•Learned from county surveyor Brad Daniels that work on stabilizing the banks of the Salamonie River will continue east from the Wayne Street bridge to the wooded area near the nature trail in Hudson Family Park. The two-stage section between the arch bridge and the Wayne Street bridge drew praise from the commissioners.

“I think that made a big improvement,” said Huffman.

“Whatever they’re doing, it’s 100 percent better,” said commissioner Mike Leonhard.

•Pressed Daniels on logjam removal on the Salamonie, with Hudson suggesting use of a drone to video record the river from Portland to the Blackford County line.

“My guys walk the river every year,” said Daniels. “My guys kayak the river every year.”

•Heard complaints from Bob Franks about road deterioration on county road 500 North, west of Bloomfield Elementary School.

•Heard a presentation from Platinum Benefits Consulting Group, a division of Northwest Mutual Life Insurance, which has been handling the county’s health insurance program since 2012.

•Heard a presentation from Ben Myron of Myron Terrain Management on providing ditch-cleaning services to the county.

“I want to be another resource in your tool bag,” said Myron.

•Approved a permit for Comcast to bury cable from New Mount Pleasant Road to POET Biorefining, Portland.

•Agreed to purchase 25 copies of Windows 10 at a cost of $1,500 from Matrix Integration, Jasper, in an effort to get compatibility among the county’s computers.

•Appointed Hudson, Leonhard and Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley to the board of the redevelopment commission related to the county’s tax increment financing district. County council will need to appoint two members, and Jay School Board will be asked to appoint a member.