In what Fishers officials are calling an “outstanding public-private partnership,” IU Health Saxony hospital will provide funds, personnel and facilities for a new town ambulance.
The agreement, finalized last month, will see IU Health making a one-time financial gift to the Fishers Fire Dept. of $225,000 to be used for the purchase of an ambulance and emergency medical equipment. The ambulance will be based and operated from an EMS station on the IU Health Saxony campus. The hospital will also provide a physician to serve as the medical director for the FFD EMS advanced life support program.
“This helps to defer community cost while providing an outstanding level of service,” said Fishers Town Councilor Stuart Easley.
According to FFD Chief Steve Orusa, a significant number of the department’s runs are medically related.
“The opportunity we saw was to position an ambulance at the hospital that could give us quicker response and coverage to that part of the town,” Orusa said.
In return for its contributions, the Town ofFishersagrees to recognize IU Health in “appropriate, mutually agreeable contexts,” which could include utilizing the IU Health logo on FFD’sEMSvehicles, among other items.