On Monday, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors voted to cut ties with American Medical Response and begin negotiations with another provider.
The 4-0 vote, which comes after 50 years of AMR being the county’s chief provider, creates a committee to investigate possibly shoddy services provided by AMR – which has spurred the cities of Gulfport and Biloxi to transfer their ambulance services to other counties.
The vote also opened the door for Acadian Ambulance Service to be the county’s next provider, per a recommendation from Harrison County Emergency Management Agency Director Matt Stratton.
Board members decided that contract negotiations with Acadian could begin as early as Monday, Feb. 12.
Monday’s vote was the culmination of a relationship with AMR that had been rocky for months if not years. With residents concerned over the company’s delayed response to emergencies across the county, the board appointed a nine-member oversight committee that was committed to holding the ambulance service accountable last September.
If Harrison County reaches a deal with Acadian, it will become the latest and largest coastal county to change to the Louisiana-based service. In 2000, Jackson County signed a contract to make Acadian its 911 provider.
AMR has served Harrison County since 1974, employing nearly 300 south Mississippians.
