New Henderson nonemergency ambulance service starts Monday

Beginning Monday, Community Ambulance will be responding to all nonemergency calls in Henderson because of a franchise agreement recently approved by Henderson City Council.

“We wanted to to have clear expectations, and performances measures,” said Henderson Fire Chief Matthew Morris. “We want to make sure our citizens are receiving the best care possible and to make sure our citizens are well taken care of. This gives us the ability to hold us both accountable.”

Council approved the agreement at its July 19 meeting, a few months after council adopted a resolution declaring the need for a new ambulance service franchise, and designated the maximum number of franchises to be awarded as one.

Community Ambulance was the only applicant.

“It holds us to expectations,” said Community Ambulance CEO Rob Richardson. “It develops a relationship between the private ambulance and the city, to work together to provide the best patient care, for the residents of Henderson, and that’s what this has done.”

In 2010, Henderson approved a business license for three city firefighters — who have since retired — to start Community Ambulance, a private ambulance company.

The city’s fire department will still provide all emergency transports.

Community Ambulance will pay an annual $100,000 franchise fee. The exclusive agreement is for 10 years.

“It’s a new thing for the city of Henderson,” Morris said. “We’re excited for our citizens to have some consistency and expectations of the services that are provided.”

The agreement afterClark County commissioners voted to assign Community Ambulance to provide both emergency and nonemergency ambulance services within a 150-square-mile section of southern Clark County including McCarran International Airport. That service began on April 1. Since that time, the private ambulance company has gone from 60 employees to 194, Richardson said.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Find @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.