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Unpaid bills for services provided to prisoners in the eastern Upper Peninsula may leave some communities without access to emergency services.
That’s according to a statement on Thursday from the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services, in which MAAS spokesperson Laura Biehl said a massive unpaid bill issued to Wellpath, the Michigan Department of Corrections’ former health provider, has left an 11% hole in the budget of Kinross EMS.
The MDOC ended its contract with Wellpath in April 2024, but Biehl said EMS providers around Michigan’s prisons have still not been paid for their services.
Kinross EMS currently serves eight townships in Chippewa County — as well as three state prisons. Biehl said the service, and the 39 jobs for its employees, may not continue if the situation isn’t rectified soon.
“The lack of compensation for our emergency care in Michigan’s prisons has become a serious crisis that will soon affect our ability to serve our communities,” said Kinross EMS Director Renee Gray. “EMS is expected to respond 24/7/365 and it’s not acceptable to not be compensated for our work, especially not when we are assisting the State of Michigan.”
By law, EMS agencies must respond to all 911 calls, even to the state’s prisons.
“It is unacceptable to punish us for MDOC and the State of Michigan not holding their healthcare vendor accountable when we never had a say on the vendor to begin with,” said Jeff White, a downstate EMS chief. “We upheld our duty to provide lifesaving care to all Michiganders, it’s time for state leaders to step up and rectify this situation before it literally endangers the health and safety of Michigan communities.”
Statewide, MAAS claims that the lack of payment has led to a nearly $6 million deficit among agencies statewide.
This is a developing story. Stay up-to-date with the latest developments on air and on the My UP Now mobile app.
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