The Middle Township Committee has approved a contract for emergency medical services with AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, which will replace Inspira Health Network as the township’s EMS provider on Sept. 1.
Just weeks ago Mayor Christopher Leusner informed residents that Inspira had declined to go forward as the township’s provider, calling it a curveball that came as the municipality was finalizing its budget. Leusner said he was confident the township would find another EMS provider that could be paid through the budget then being adopted.
On Monday, June 3, the Township Committee not only was able to announce a new provider, but a contract for year one that is less than what Inspira was being paid. The contract with Inspira would have called for around $100,000 from the township; the first-year amount with AtlantiCare is $60,000.
The contract is for a maximum five years, but the terms under which either party might end the relationship were not disclosed. Leusner said that in the fifth year the township would pay $174,000.
On the same night, Lower Township also approved an award for emergency medical services to AtlantiCare. Lower faced the same loss of Inspira services.
The Inspira contracts were set to expire this month in both townships. Each took advantage of a 90-day extension that will continue the services into early September.
AtlantiCare’s bids for the Middle and Lower contracts this year came as Cooper University Health System, a $2 billion operation, is poised to enter Cape May County in a big way through its merger with Cape Regional Health System.
AtlantiCare, a $1.3 billion enterprise, recently announced a major growth initiative in which CEO Michael Charlton said the health care system has a six-year goal to become a $2 billion enterprise. The plan calls for partnership with Cleveland Clinic to expand cancer care, with Oracle Health to revamp the system’s digital infrastructure, and with Drexel University to build a new medical school.
The plan bears similarities to the relationship of Cooper and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for cancer care and the relationship Cooper has with the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
