Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Ambulance offered full audit

Director of the Kimball County Ambulance Service received an offer for an in depth assessment of Kimball’s local ambulance service by the State of Nebraska.

To that end, she asked the Kimball County Board of Commissioners this past week to consider the assessment offered when she became the director.

“I don’t know what type of questions they ask,” she said. “They will go through our training records; they will go through every aspect of our service to evaluate how well we are doing what we do.” Goranson further explained to the board that the assessment is at no cost to the county. A state hired company will conduct the study and it is completely on a volunteer basis.

“It was offered to us, and I think it would be a good idea,” she added.

The assessors would conduct the study in the near future while they are in the area assessing those same services in Sidney.

“Visiting with Randy (Meininger,owner of the Valley Ambulance Service), he indicated that he also thought that this would be a good tool to have,” said Attorney for the Kimball Commissioners, Matt Turman. “It won’t be available for the ‘Task Force’ to utilize, but for Kimball County moving forward; it would be a good idea.”

“Like he (Turman) said,, it would be separate from the Task Force and it wouldn’t help us through this process, but it would help us going forward in (determining) what we need to improve, and hopefully, what we are doing well,” Goranson said, “Randy Meininger suggested that we do a full audit.”

Goranson asked the commissioners to request the full audit from the State rather than a partial audit of the ambulance service.

“I don’t think it will happen quickly,” said Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter, “but I think it’s a great idea.”

Commissioner Daria Andersen-Faden made the motion for the commissioners to go ahead with the request of a full audit from the State paid company. All aye.