Northwest Health has exercised a 180-day termination clause in its current contracts to provide emergency medical service (EMS) to parts of western Benton County and the cities of Cave Springs, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry and Highfill thus ending the service in January 2023.
This action impacts two contracts. The first is a three-year contract to provide EMS service in parts of western Benton County and the cities of Decatur and Gentry that was signed in November 2018 and renewed for a subsequent three-year term in November 2021. The second is a three-year contract to provide EMS service to parts of western Benton County and the cities of Cave Springs, Centerton and Highfill that was signed in September 2020.
Benton County and the Cities of Cave Springs, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, and Highfill were surprised by this action taken by Northwest Health. Benton County, in conjunction with the mayors of the respective cities, has immediately initiated a process to find a replacement EMS service for the affected areas and are confident that there will be no interruption in ambulance service to any of the approximate 50,000 citizens serviced by the EMS contracts.
In the interim 180-day timeframe, the contract requires Northwest Health to continue to provide the same high level of service that it currently provides.
“Northwest Health has provided a very valuable service to many of our citizens in western Benton County over the past couple of years,” said Benton County Judge Barry Moehring. “We’re disappointed that they have chosen to prematurely exercise the termination clause to exit the contracts.”
“We have already received interest from other providers and we will very quickly initiate a process to receive proposals to continue ambulance service in western Benton County as well as the cities of Cave Springs, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry and Highfill,” Moehring said. “We are very confident that we will collectively select an outstanding provider and that service will continue to be provided at a very high level just as it is today.”