During his tenure as a member of the Northampton Board of Supervisors, Granville Hogg distinguished himself not just as a passionate defender of the Shore, but many times as a lone voice for common sense and accountability. With Hogg retired, those checks and balances have all but disappeared. Thankfully, Hogg remains engaged and is there to remind the BoS of why they are sitting (loitering may be a better term) at the dais.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Hogg questioned the number of ambulances in Northampton County. He noted that a possible consolidation of services could save the county money. Hogg also questioned whether the proposed location for the new EMS garage was in the best location. Below are Hogg’s comments to the board:
When the idea of purchasing the Machipongo Property for EMS started it was indicated there was a need for a building to provide shelter for the vehicles. I voted for it. It was an interim measure made until the hospital issue and Rural Health issue was stabilized.
I have spoken with many I consider to be knowledgeable persons. I was amazed at the number of citizens that did not have knowledge of the number of ambulances there were that served the county. They indicated, “they would just like to have one come when they called”. Before going further, I wish to thank all volunteers for their service. Through the years and currently they have given back to this county as much service as those appointees on various commissions and elected officials. I thank you for your service and I hope if I need your assistance you will be there.
Currently there are 7 ambulances. 2 @ CC; 2 @ Machipongo; 1 @ Nassawadox; 2 @ Exmore; Painter answers some calls in Northampton County .
How many staffed ambulances 6 AM – 6 PM I believe I am correct at 4.
How Many staffed ambulances 6 PM – 6 AM I believe I am correct at 3??
These numbers can be verified by Charles and Ms. Carpenter.
How many empty bays are there in the existing facilities?? Cape Charles has four (4) bays. They have two (2) ambulances and another vehicle. It appears there is One at CC?
How frequent and how many County staff are deployed to CC?? or Exmore or Nassawadox
Why doesn’t the County staff park the vehicle in the vacant bay when they are present at the CC building?
Even with the longer Transit times and the number of trained personnel available to man the ambulances, Does Northampton County Need 7 Ambulances???
Since the initial discussions on the acquisition of the Machipongo property, the hospital relocation to Onley has become a reality. In addition, there appears to be a ground breaking for the Rural Health Facility at Eastville. In viewing the demographics, Mile Post 70 is at the Bridge Tunnel, CC Rescue is located near Mile Post 79, County EMS is located near Mile Post 89, Nassawadox is located near Mile Post 95, Exmore is located near Mile Post 100, Painter is located near Mile Post 104. The Cape Charles Call zone is from Mile Post 70 to Mile Post 86 just north of Eastville. The public should be aware of the shift in population as we go into June, July, and August. The population south of Eastville during that period increases approximately 2.5 times the average winter time population.
It appears there is more than an adequate number of ambulances to serve the county. There is the need to determine just how many are needed. It is a case of MANAGEMENT of equipment and staff. It appears there are more ambulances than can be staffed at any moment in time which leads me to believe there is a need to “RIGHT SIZE” and placement of the number of ambulances. This further leads me to wonder if there are more ambulances than needed, then county staff and county ambulance could be accommodated at the facility with its staff. And the public needs to hear that debate.
This in turn makes the question of why does Northampton County need a 40′ X 80′ facility for $300K+ and equipment that could be rented at Machipongo when we have other pressing expenses. We bought one jail and are paying for it dearly today. The public just needs to be aware of the debate and the decisions of how their money is being spent.
Exactly. Like why are our children still going to a school that for sure need work done to it. We haven’t heard one word about that. They consider things that are not an immediate need. Help our kids so they can learn better and strive more. Pay attention to our kids they should be our first consideration. Then let’s help our seniors, they need somewhere to go in Northampton county to mingle, play games, eat lunch. Show them they are not forgotten. Let’s think about that in your next meeting.
Pam Baker
I think it’s HORRIBLE that the hospital moved to Only. It was far enough for people who live down the road. Capeville, Cape Charles…Now it’s almost in Salisbury….Does the county not care about these people or what. So our only option is to risk the lives of people rushing them either across the bay ,and tackling that bring or 1 hour drive to Onley. Sounds like a DEATH SENTENCE to me. Either way. The hospitals are to darn far away. Shame on the County. DO BETTER FOR OUR RESIDENTS❣️
Ms. Jackson,
How many meetings of the Board of Supervisors have you ever attended? I will take a wild swing at zero, but would be delighted to hear that I am wrong. If you had taken time to sit in one when Riverside was planning to move to Onley, you would know how hard the Board worked to keep it in Nassawadox or, failing that, to ensure that residents of Northampton had access to health services.
The only problem is that you cannot tell a for-profit company where it will or will not do business. Money, not care, is the driving force behind big hospital services. I can’t fault the Board for its efforts. Having said that, Granville Hogg’s suggestion about relocating ambulances to accommodate seasonal population surges is an excellent one and the county would do well to consider it. The real question is why the head of emergency services isn’t proposing these changes to the board. Isn’t this part of the job?
Given the state of the Northampton County economy and the long slow loss of population there have been many failed iterations of the Northampton County Board of Supervisors. At this point, blaming anyone else but the BOS is wrong. They are the ones that have made the poor decisions for all of us here in Northampton County. Take a look at the record and then look up the word representative in the dictionary.
The school situation is truly of dire attention. The story here is of the EMS situation. With only 3 staffed units in the county, EMS is stretched thin in NC. Soms days, every unit in the county is out at the same time, forcing units from Accomack to come down! The county has two ambulances which were purchased with EMS grant funds. The garage would allow units and equipment to be housed inside, thus increasing the life of the units. When tax payers call 911, they expect a response! Countless people in the county owe their life to EMS response and proper care that has been provided. Instead of being negative and making off the wall comments, perhaps that time could be better spent by joining your local vol station and become part of a solution!