October 11, 2022- The Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce welcomed Abbott EMS to Macon County with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
In August, the city of Decatur selected Abbott EMS as the official EMS provider as the city transitioned from the former provider, Decatur Ambulance Service.
Shortly after the announcement of the selection of Abbott EMS, the transition process began.
“This has truly been a seem less changeover, because when you need someone to come help you, when you call 911, you want to make sure the first responders are there for you,” Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said.
Theresa Rutherford, President & CEO of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, touched on how important it was to find a partner who could collaborate, after closing Decatur Ambulance.
“When we made the decision, the heart wrenching decision to leave the EMS structure, the pre hospital structure, we had to find a partner who could collaborate, and the city has helped us to do that,” Rutherford said. “Having worked with Abbott in my past, it is a great way for us to transition, as a member who lives in this community, and who needs to assure there is a 911 response on the other end of my phone. It is critical that we made this as smooth as possible.”
Abbott has also partnered with Richland Community College to provide an 8-week EMT course, called Earn While You Learn. The goal is to invest in the education in the area, and create a flow of EMTs. Students will be paid while enrolled in the course, and upon graduation, they will be hired by Abbott.
Abbott EMS officially began operations on Friday, October 7th.
The City of Decatur made an official statement welcoming Abbott EMS to the community last week prior to operations beginning.
“The City of Decatur would like to thank Abbott EMS and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital for working closely to ensure no service interruption for our community. Additionally, we want to thank all members of the Ambulance Working Group for their assistance throughout this process.”
