MultCo Board rejects alternative ambulance resolution amid paramedic shortage

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — The resolution to urge the Multnomah County Chair to temporarily change the required personnel for ambulances to address long response times has failed to pass after contentious debating among Multnomah County Commissioners.

The county has been facing ambulance response time issues with the company under contract, American Medical Response, due to a nationwide shortage of paramedics. AMR has advocated for temporarily allowing ambulances to be operated by one paramedic and one emergency medical technician (called the 1-1 model), a deviation from the current rule of having them be run by two paramedics at a minimum.

Multiple community members testified saying they were concerned about the safety of their families due to long wait times for ambulances. A paramedic and union member also shared their issues with the 1-1 model.

In February, Commissioner Sharon Meieran tried to urgently add a resolution to the agenda championing the temporary 1-1 model after a series of emergencies left patients without ambulances. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson delayed that discussion until Thursday.

Meieran’s resolution urged Vega Pederson to use her authority to direct the Emergency Medical Services Medical Director to temporarily change the ambulance staffing to the 1-1 model. The resolution would have also required the Health Department to closely monitor outcomes.

“We have a national paramedic shortage and especially in Multnomah County,” Meieran said. “So having this outdated and unnecessary requirement that there be two paramedics staffing ambulances means we have half the number of ambulances that could be on the street.”

Portland and Gresham Fire Chiefs, Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, Fairview City Councilor E’an Todd and medical experts came before the Board Thursday to staunchly support the temporary change for the sake of public health and safety.

Multnomah County Commissioner Jesse Beason tried and succeeded at getting enough votes to make an amendment to Meieran’s resolution — the amendment received the support of all board members except Commissioner Meieren.

Meieran fired back with an amendment to his amendment but that failed to pass. As a result, Meieran voted “no” on her own resolution since Beason had changed it.

“The way it was amended, it’s urging the wrong thing, and it doesn’t make a statement,” Meieran said. “I don’t know where the concept of saving lives gets lost.”

Meieran’s resolution, overall, did not pass when the votes finally came from other Multnomah County Commissioners Thursday evening.

After the meeting concluded, KOIN 6 News asked Vega Pederson why discussions on this amendment were pushed until now.

“It was brought up before as a unanimous consent item and it was voted down by the board,” Vega Pederson said. “And now I think we’ve brought it back, we’re able to have more of a full discussion and we’re able to have folks in the panel who were coming.”

Vega Pederson said her mediation with AMR will conclude next week. She plans to share the outcome of those discussions on August 1.

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