There were 23 counties affected by the shut down of Emergystat Ambulance Service Wednesday night.

While in the days following officials with Southland Health Services, Inc. have talked about the cause of the shut down, and how they intend to fix the problem, hundreds of paramedics and office personnel from Louisiana to Florida are having problems of their own.

Mark Pierce, the 35-year-old father of six who lives in Philadelphia and who before Wednesday night was a paramedic for Emergystat in Newton County, is typical of what happens to the worker whenever an employer shuts down operations without notice.

“I tried to take my daughter to get a hamburger Friday and I found out my debit card had been cancelled,” said Pierce. “As it turns out, my payroll check bounced. I don’t have any money.”

Emergystat, based in Vernon, Ala., notified Mississippi officials Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. that it would halt operations at midnight Wednesday. State and county officials scrambled to make other arrangements so no one who needed ambulance services was left stranded.

The residents were covered by other ambulance services who came in to fill the gap but what of the paramedics who are now out of work and who haven’t been paid by Emergystat or Southland Health Services? Pierce feels like they have been left out and doubts very seriously they will ever get the money they are owed for time worked.

“They owe me for the last two weeks and I’m due to be paid again for another two weeks I just worked,” s.aid Pierce. “That’s a month’s salary. Now I’ve got to rely on family to help us through this tight time.”

Pierce said other paramedics he’s talked to are in the same boat. As a rule, paramedics live from paycheck to paycheck. Whenever the flow of money is disrupted, times get hard very quickly.

“I don’t know how many people are out of work or who have not been paid but this has to be like a major plant closing down. There are so many people who are now looking for jobs and who don’t have the money they thought they did. It just isn’t right to treat people like this,” Pierce said.

Pierce said he has called Southland Health Services to inquire about if and when he will be paid but all he’s gotten is a voicemail. Pierce hopes he can get on with ASAP, who at the moment has a temporary contract to cover Newton County.

Mississippi is not the only state effected by the shutdown. Emergystat’s operations in Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana, Kansas and Florida also ceased at midnight Wednesday.

Emergystat Vice President Chris Ingram said the company lost its liability insurance because it had not paid its latest insurance premium.

Ingram said the company has not been able to pay because Medicare has yet to reimburse more than $250,000 for ambulance services owed to Emergystat. He said it may take several days before they receive their money from Medicare.

Paladin Holdings Inc., the parent company of Emergystat, said in a statement the company was under a financial pinch because of an estimated $300,000 in unpaid service payments owed it by GE Capital and more than $200,000 in reimbursements due from Medicare.

‘‘(Emergystat) is attempting to obtain emergency payment from Medicare and seek a financing solution to have the insurance reinstated. Once reinstated, the company will work with the various state health departments on its licensing and operations,’’ the statement said.

The fact Southland Health Services and Paladin Holdings Inc. addressed corporate concerns rather than those of the people who worked for them didn’t impress Pierce one bit.

“You’d think the people who provided emergency services to residents would be more compassionate towards those who work for them,” said Pierce. “Obviously that’s not the case.”

Contacted late Friday afternoon, Southland Health Services President and CEO Larry Lunan said he certainly understood the worries of the workers who were employed by Emergystat.

“I absolutely understand and sympathize with those men and women affected by this,” said Lunan. “But I ask everyone to be patient. As soon as we get this financial situation straightened out, they will be paid.”

Lunan added the funds are in place to take care of the licensing, liability insurance and payroll needs. The roadblocks in getting the money for those vital needs are many. He is hopeful that next week Southland Health Services, Emergystat and the employees will see things change for the better.

“I never went to college,” he said. “I worked myself up from the ground floor. I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck. We will get these issues rectified.”



Affected Miss. counties

and the provider offering

emergency coverage



Mississippi counties affected by Emergystat shutdown and companies now providing ambulance service:

— Amite — AAA

— Coahoma — Transcare, Pafford

— Chickasaw — Transcare, Pafford

— Claiborne — AMR

— Greene — Stone County Hospital Ambulance

— Holmes — Medstat

— Jefferson — MissLou

— Kemper — ASAP

— Marshall — Transcare

— Neshoba — Neshoba General

— Newton — ASAP

— Noxubee — Transcare

— North Panola — Tri Lakes

— Pearl River — AMR

— Scott — Scott County EMS (new service begun by county)

— Simpson — AMR

— Smith — Smith County EMS (new service begun by county)

— Sunflower — Pafford, Delta Regional

— Tallahatchie — Transcare

— Tunica — Transcare, Rural Metro

— Wilkinson — West Feliciana

— Winston — Medstat, Oktibbeha

— Yazoo — Yazoo (new service)