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One of Mississippi's major ambulance service providers is closing its doors at midnight. Emergystat Ambulance Service is the sole emergency service provider for 23 counties throughout Mississippi.
Emergystat officials confirm the closure, stating that lack of liability insurance and serious financial problems forced this decision. Meanwhile, Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials are working in conjunction with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and county officials to aid the affected counties in locating alternate service.
According to State Health Officer Dr. Ed Thompson, the MSDH Command Center is fielding hundreds of phone calls tonight.
"The State Health Department is working diligently to provide solutions to this situation. Many of the affected counties have declared pre-emptive emergency declarations allowing them to seek mutual aid from other counties or other sources."
MSDH will have personnel on duty throughout the night to provide technical assistance to the affected counties. Persons in the affected counties who experience an emergency should continue to call 911 for assistance. The following counties are affected by the Emergystat Ambulance Service closure:
Amite, Coahoma, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Greene, Holmes, Jefferson, Kemper, Marshall, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Panola, Pearl River, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tunica, Wilkinson, Winston, and Yazoo.
The MSDH will provide additional important information as needed throughout the evening and update the media in the morning.
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Press Contact: Liz Sharlot , Elizabeth Grey or Carol Jarvis Jones, (601) 576-7667
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