PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Arguments erupted during a Multnomah County board meeting as one commissioner called out Chair Jessica Vega Pederson for how she has addressed their ongoing ambulance staffing crisis.
This disagreement comes after months of mounting pressure from leaders across the region to temporarily change the county's two-paramedic requirement to one paramedic and one EMT model during a national paramedic shortage.
In a last-minute press conference on Tuesday morning, Chair Vega Pederson announced a four-point plan to address delayed ambulance response times – all while she continues to blame the ambulance company.
“I won't be bullied into any kind of quick fix,” she said. “And the truth is that AMR is failing our community.”
Vega Pederson is doubling down on her stance, emphasizing that American Medical Response must meet a contracted requirement of having two paramedics despite a national shortage.
She is urging AMR to subcontract employees, hire and retain more paramedics, or face fines upwards of $2 million, adding that she believes AMR “can take these action steps to improve their service.”
AMR operations manager Rob McDonald said he was “very disappointed and also a little bit surprised” after the chair’s press conference.
“We're very concerned that this is the direction of travel she's chosen to enact any further fines on us, really only takes our resources away from where we really need to be applying them…,” McDonald said. “We've put everything we can into this and we fought very hard to educate the chair, providing her all the data that is available, including all the national studies. So for her to come out this way today was a real disappointment.”
Vega Pederson’s four-point plan to address the ambulance staffing crisis includes formal mediation with AMR, reopening the ambulance service plan two years early, reviewing fire department services, and convening experts in the next 30 days.
“This is a Band-Aid on an arterial wound. These pilot programs aren't robust enough to make the difference that's needed for our county response times to improve,” McDonald said. “We also know, and with all the facts and data that we've brought forth, that a paramedic/EMT model – which is the national and state standard – works. It provides great patient outcomes.”
However, Vega Pederson’s declaration came as the City of Gresham and Portland have called for a temporary change in which half of their staff would shift to the one paramedic and one EMT model.
“Our region has seen a major decline in ambulance availability over the last year, and we cannot continue relying on the two-paramedic staffing model,” Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said. “Not only will this [one paramedic and one EMS] initiative reduce ambulance wait times and allow for quicker transportation to the Emergency Room, but it will decrease the strain on our first response system. Our ambulance providers and Fire Chief are telling us clearly: We need this, and we need it now.”
KOIN 6 asked Vega Pederson whether she planned to wait the full 30 days while ambulances are actively unable to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. In response, she clarified that she would not, and instead plans to “be convening the group and get a response within 30 days.”
“I think we all share this sense of urgency about this situation, but I have significant concerns about the suggestion to use executive or political power to override clinical expertise and the decision-making authority of our Emergency Medical System’s medical director,” she said.
Soon after the press conference ended, the issue spilled over into the county’s board meeting when Commissioner Dr. Sharon Meieran criticized the board’s priorities as they discussed planting trees instead of AMR response times.
A transcription of the argument can be read below:
Meieran: “The emergency response is actually very – heaven forbid anyone had to call an ambulance and was not able to get a response. This is probably more important on an actual emergency basis than anything that we are discussing in this boardroom today. I would be happy to defer my comments until after, provided I have the opportunity to express them. There's about five minutes, later-”
Vega Pederson: “This is a board briefing, and we have a board briefing on this presentation and then we have a work session where we're going to be discussing proposed changes to the Metro Supportive Housing Services measure. That's what's on the agenda today, that's what we're going to be discussing.”
Meieran: “I would just conclude then that the herculean effort to avoid talking about ambulance response and emergencies is mind-blowing to me, and I just watch it happening. And as a board, I think our responsibility is to hold the chair to account in terms of bringing things to the attention of the people for board meetings and allowing us to discuss what is literally costing lives of Multnomah County residents every day that you fail to act. If we cannot talk about that here because we are talking about tree plantings, I think that's a problem, and we should be talking as a board about what should be on public agendas rather than canceling meetings or talking about tree plantings.”
Vega Pederson: “I will say for everyone to know: We have and have had a briefing on the ambulance service response plan for the 29th that has been on the [schedule] for a while. That has been planned. There are updates to board staff, there is engagement with the county commission, and that is our chance to have that conversation. That is something that we have been planning for and engaging work in for several weeks now-”
Meieran: “So many lives will be cost by-”
Vega Pederson: “Please do not interrupt.”
Meieran: “I was just [talking] about saving lives, and you're talking about an agenda item. I am sorry, it's just hard to take.”
Vega Pederson: “Commissioner Meieran, your time is done.”
Meieran then shut her laptop and removed herself from the meeting.
