SB1041 - Maryland Health Care Commission - State Police - Helicopter Emergency Medical Services will be heard on March 24, 2009 in the Senate Finance Committee hearing room (3E of the Miller Senate Office building). The hearing is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM. WE need a show of force to defeat this Bill. The synopsis of the bill is “Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission, in conjunction with the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Systems Services, to conduct a study, examination, and comparison of helicopter emergency medical services; prohibiting the Department of State Police from purchasing new helicopters before a specified report is submitted to specified committees of the General Assembly; and terminating the Act at the end of March 31, 2010.”. This bill if passed will put off at least a year the purchase of replacement helicopters. This issue was recently studied by the a House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup. This workgroup recommended the purchase of a multi-mission helicopter, keep the Medevac system under the State Police, and to purchase three helicopters this year. Please contact the members of the Senate Finance Committee and urge them to vote NO on this bill. This bill is just another attempt by a few Senators to privatized the current Medevac system.
Joe, Can you please put that list up again with the email addresses of our state reps?
ReplyDeletefrustrated
With all due respect, there is a search box on the top left corner of this Blog. Please type in what you're looking for and find it that way. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJoe, as one of many daily readers I didn't know there was a search box. Cool!
ReplyDeleteJoe:
ReplyDeleteWe tend to agree alot more than we disagree but the accident rate for the current medivac fleet is unacceptable. It exceeds industry standards. Plus, everytime we Marylanders turn around they are trying to expand the medivac fleet by raising tag fees. Right now the State Medivac unit has a direct tap at the vehicle registration desk. That's right they collect directly from the DMV by having a fixed amount dedicated toward the medivac expansion. I may be wrong but the last time I heard it was $31.50 per registration.
Also, the State was suppose to phase out and sell the Bell Rangers when they bought their current replacement Medivac fleet, but guess what they did. They started another Helicopter fleet and assigned the Old Bell Rangers to the DNR. Now we have two fleets to maintain.
Moreover, the former Maryland State Police director Coloniel Mazonie never did answer the Freedom of Information request to identify the actual cost to Maryland taxpayers.
Bottom line. . .I'm all for privatization.
Can I get a new helicopter out of this deal? Mine is shot.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJoe:
We tend to agree alot more than we disagree but the accident rate for the current medivac fleet is unacceptable. It exceeds industry standards. Plus, everytime we Marylanders turn around they are trying to expand the medivac fleet by raising tag fees. Right now the State Medivac unit has a direct tap at the vehicle registration desk. That's right they collect directly from the DMV by having a fixed amount dedicated toward the medivac expansion. I may be wrong but the last time I heard it was $31.50 per registration.
Also, the State was suppose to phase out and sell the Bell Rangers when they bought their current replacement Medivac fleet, but guess what they did. They started another Helicopter fleet and assigned the Old Bell Rangers to the DNR. Now we have two fleets to maintain.
Moreover, the former Maryland State Police director Coloniel Mazonie never did answer the Freedom of Information request to identify the actual cost to Maryland taxpayers.
Bottom line. . .I'm all for privatization.
8:08 PM
Anon 8:08 PM
So you think the accident rate will drop if you privatize the Helicopters?
You think we will get a reduction in the fee's that we pay on our vehicle registrations?
That tag fee you refer to is the EMSOF emergency medical sevices operations fund and it pays for more than just the helicopters.
The helicopter aren't just for medevac runs either. They are first and foremost Maryland State Troopers so the helicopters are also used for police work.
Are you Senator JOHN C. ASTLE
Democrat, District 30, Anne Arundel County, who has a vested interest in privatizing the helicopter system? See http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12160.html >>> Medical evacuation helicopter pilot<<<<
Read this article and comments from other citizens.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2008/10/23-28/Medevac-helicopter-briefly-grounded.html?ne=1
anybody noticed how much it cost to tag a vehicle lately?!
ReplyDeleteA load of money is going somewhere - it's increased substancually.
8:08 The governor's budget calls for the elimination of DNR's helicopter fleet of two Bell helicopters, which includes two pilots and one mechanic. The annual cost to maintain this program? $100,000. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. In 1990, NRP had 451 officers. Now, it's about 250officers.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see your source for making the claim that the state police's medivac program accident rate exceeds industry standards.
The biggest problem with the state police program is non-pilots are in charge of the program. It's akin to putting a plumber in charge of information technology.
I remember when then Governor Ehrlich raised vehicle registration fees from $40 every two years to its current $122. The explanation given at the time to justify this increase was to raise funds to replace the aging state police helicopter fleet. As we've all come to learn, the folks in Annapolis have a way of diverting funds intended for one thing to something else. Kind of like the funds from the state lottery were suppose to go to education. At least that was what they used to sell the lottery to the citizens. Kind of like what they did to get the slots legislation to pass.
One of the people interested in privitizing the medivac system has a history of making his bread and butter with a private air ambulance company. Can we say conflict of interest? I remember years ago when I watched the first Robocop movie I said no way police departments could be privitized and then contracted back to the city. As politicians look for more ways to pad their pockets all the while screwing the public, it's simply a matter of time before all government services, including law enforcement, are outsourced to private companies. And you think it's bad now?
Anon 10:33pm said...
ReplyDelete"One of the people interested in privitizing the medivac system has a history of making his bread and butter with a private air ambulance company. Can we say conflict of interest?"
1033pm,
See my post above, I have already exposed the crooked senator on this. He and Pipkin need to go!!
954pm
First, Let me say that the Maryland "Medevac" ("Please note the spelling IF you want to be taken seriously when you post")
ReplyDeleteThe current system has a one of the BEST safety records in the entire industry and is a model for other agency's throughout the country as well. If the medevac system gets privatized if/when you as a citizen are ever injured in a MVC or other trauma realted injuries there will be a significant delay in getting "YOU" as the Patient to the appropriate healthcare facilty and not to mention the cost of a PRIVATE helicopter transport is $7,000 to $15,000 depending on what hospital you are sent to. So your argument is that you don't want to pay an extra $80.00 to $100.00 dollars every year to guarantee you that you or your family will be treated and transported in a timely manner to the medical facilty that gives you the BEST chance of survival. Dr. Scalea of U of M Shock Trauma Center wrote a very appropriate letter reguarding this issue and he is in charge of the Shock Trauma Center and he has alot to say about this privatization and the last crash on Sept 28, 2008. Just remember there are alot of people who put ter lives on the line every time that helicopter is dispatched because as we have seen "One crash in 20 YEARS is to many" those people left home and waved "Goodbye" to there families and Said "See you in the morning" and never returned home. So no matter who does the flying it is necessary risk and the price of saving lives and Maryland's MEDEVAC System in the BEST way to ensure that everyone gets to the hospital within the "Golden Hour"
9:54, Now show me the data supporting your claim the state police program's accident rate is higher than industry standards.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to say that we as citizens need to honor the fallen men and women who have died in the line of duty flying in the Maryland Medevac helicopters and also Medevac's throughout the world. Whether responding or returning from an active missions by showing our support to "DEFEAT" this bill. Whether its showing up at the statehouse or emailing or calling our senators and delgates. It is imperative that this sysytem be saved " as I have outlined in an earlier post" If the system becomes private it will cost alot more money to citiznes if they need this service and not to mention delaying care to sick or injured patients. The Maryland State Police MEDEVAC System is the ONLY way to keep Marylanders alive....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete9:54, Now show me the data supporting your claim the state police program's accident rate is higher than industry standards.
9:55 AM
954 did not make that claim. Reread the posts. 954 was questioning the source of that flat out lie if you reread the post.
keep the choppers flying. our son has been a passenger twice, m.s.p. troopers are and were highly trained. the second ride due to car crash saved his life, once on the ground to get him breathing, and again in flight..to keep him alive till he arrived at shock trauma ,as DR. scalia told we did our job and we dit it well.our son was blessed to have that medivac for the GOLDEN HOUR.
ReplyDelete