I am sorry I have not been keeping up with the recent events. Things happened so quickly after John Sharp introduced Ordinance number 090754 on August 27th, which if voted in has the potential to make MAST a city entity 4 days after the Mayor signs the ordinance. At the Public Safety and Neighborhood Committee meeting September 2nd, I asked him some questions and one of the answers I got was that this only makes the Director of EMS City. So I questioned...our boss will be city but we will not? To watch the committee meeting, go to http://kansascity.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=3630 scroll about halfway through and that is when it starts with this ordinance.
Mr. Landon Rowland spoke, talking about the indigent, the poor, and the minorities we treat and transport and advised them to take their time and to think hard on this issue. Mr. Steve Glorioso spoke to the issue as well. There were many speakers from both sides but I feel that the reasons given by the Citizens to Save Mast side were clearer and more fact based than those from those who support the takeover.
We are having another public forum at the Southeast Community Center located at 3601 E. 63rd Street in Kansas City on September 18th at 7PM. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard, ask questions, and sign the petition, which is still going to go to the February ballot. If you have any questions, please email me at savemast09@att.net
Stay tuned for more in the continuing saga...
Lesa
P. S. Please feel free to write to me with any questions you may have!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
No News
Sorry for no news. We are working on getting very organized so we do not befall the same fate as the Anti-Funk campaigners. They did an awesome job and deserve better! We are more grass roots than they so we want to make sure we have it together. Look for upcoming news soon.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Chubby's
We will be at Chubby's on Broadway Sunday, June 7th around 9 or 930 am until 2, depending on how busy it gets! If they need the seating, we will be outside! Please come and join us, sign the petition, have a great meal and enjoy yourself.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sign the petition
Saturday, June 6th, 2pm to 5pm Chubby's on Broadway! I anticipate we will be there every Saturday but will let you know if we are not going to be. I will post every week. Come by, sign the petition and thank Nicky and Vito for allowing us to do this!
'Blue Ribbon committee meeting'
Here is some background to support why we do not want to be taken over by the city. The city council passed a resolution in the early part of the year for a committee to meet and make a determination of the cost effectiveness of merging MAST with fire (since been scrapped at this time, now wants it to be a third city service). The following is a comment made on Kansas City Crime scene blog...will post the link...
Wait james, are you talking about the 15% cuts at the star, or where they are talking about the savings of MAST and fire merging?
The first answer on my long statement was the star.
The savings they are talking about with the merger is that since MAST is not a city entity, they do not have sovereignty, against lawsuits, so they have to purchase liability insurance, they have their own lawyer on staff and they can ditch upper management.. that is where the savings of 1.5 mill is that you keep hearing about.
What they are not saying is :
The straight talk is that sovereign Immunity does not provide protection for first $300,000.00 dollars of recovery per person and/or the first $2,000,000.00 dollars of recovery per accident involving the operation of motor vehicles. The City would either have to purchase insurance to cover these amounts or establish sizable self insurance reserves and purchase high dollar stop loss coverage both of which would likely add significant cost to the City. More costs are added because the City would have to defend these lawsuits by having its own attorneys defend the lawsuits or contract out the defense of the lawsuits if the City did not purchase third party insurance. Without third party insurance, the City would be required to establish sufficient cash reserves to protect against any claim recovery. More and more costs for the City.
The day to day operations of MAST also requires attorneys to defend claims, prepare contracts, advise on highly technical and constantly changing regulations such as HIPAA, privacy and Medicare and Medicaid compliance as well as all of the daily general health care issues and contested matters. All of these legal issues will still require prompt attention, a strong defense and/or the correct answer the first time whether these services are provided by lawyers employed by the City or by MAST's present law firm. When highly technical and complex medical/legal questions are at issue, one normally will not realize much savings by just transferring who performs the legal work.
These issues are too important to all of us to have anyone making decisions based on inaccurate or just plain wrong information & statements.
So, the city is STILL going to have to pay these expense.. it is a wash
Posted by: James Hart | Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 01:44 PM
Sign the petition
Saturday, June 6th, 2pm to 5pm Chubby's on Broadway! I anticipate we will be there every Saturday but will let you know if we are not going to be. I will post every week. Come by, sign the petition and thank Nicky and Vito for allowing us to do this!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Petition to save MAST
A petition to save MAST ambulance is available. The petition needs 4,237 valid signatures. It is attached to a proposed city ordinance that says, to paraphrase, “Leave MAST alone.”
The city thinks it can operate the EMS system for the same amount as MAST does. It has taken MAST 30 years to perfect its system. Some concerned citizens do not believe the city can accomplish the same and the city has not proven so. Politics is the sole reason for this move. City budget officer Troy Schulte has said they might save $1.5 million after a few years.
Your taxes will be raised. That would be one good reason for signing this petition. However, the real reason is that MAST is operating very well as it is. They receive a subsidy from the city for picking up the homeless, uninsured, unemployed, underemployed and anyone else who cannot pay. They do not deny service to anyone and give excellent care to all. This is what the citizens of Kansas City have come to expect and what they want to continue to deliver.
To learn more, contact us at savemast09@att.net
Lesa Gonzalez
Kansas City
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As far as the meeting goes. They had divided up the tasks that needed to be studied, amongst the members of the committee. The doctors that were on it, were in charge of guidelines for medical protocol and whether or not, they could easily be maintained if a merger took place. There were a couple in charge of the financial aspect, as to whether or not they would actually save any money, then there were some that did a couple of others.. nothing I cared about, and I left when I heard what I came there to hear.
The financial guy said that it would basically not make enough fiscal difference to warrant the merger, and fire personell had no training in the paperwork and medical records necessary to document the runs, thus effecting the ability of the billing office to continue to succesfully bill and retain collection rates, so any that actually might be saved, would be lost due to this.
The Doctors basically said, MAST has the best care there is, all protocols are met or exceeded with the current leadership.
There was testimony from the Health director that the money that is taxed to pay for indigent and lower income class care that is used to pay for ambulance services, were earmarked for ambulance and there would be no distribution until there is a definate plan on how, it would go for that and nothing but that.
They feared that allowing the fire department the ems, would lower these services.
The Mayor of the silver haired society came and backed MAST as the premium care provider. There has been a saying going around about this "If it aint broke, dont fix it" and the silver haired society, said that's fine for everyone except your old english teacher.. But they proposed that "If it doesnt need to be fixed.. then dont break"
Which was greeted with a hail of applause..
It all sounds good so far, right?
Then one of the committee members started to spout lies, I for one was armed with the information to prove it.. but it is parliamentary procedure and he had the floor.. while I was writhing in my seat....
But the CEO of MAST.. did break procedure and well, put that statement to rest.
After that I left.. I had had all the drama I needed for one morning! LOL