BEAUMONT, Texas — The City of Beaumont has approved a new ambulance service that will help provide non-emergency medical transports for nursing homes, hospitals and people living with chronic illnesses.
Concord EMS, a contracted non-emergency ambulance service out of Houston, is now the 5th company to operate in Beaumont.
The city says that non-emergency ambulances are also necessary to help people who take care of ill relatives, including by transporting them to appointments.
"A lot of people, they need the service and they can't access it, and that's something, because now it throws a burden back on the family who may not be able to do so," said Beaumont resident Reginald Allen.
Allen says he wishes he could have used a non-emergency ambulance transportation service for his father when he was experiencing kidney failure over a decade ago.
"He had need of an ambulance service like that, before something like that was even provided," said Allen. "And therefore, we had to try to figure out how to get him to dialysis, and it was not close."
Beaumont City Council members approved Concord EMS to operate within city limits.
"They have a contract with either the patient or with the facility," said Beaumont Fire Department EMS manager Max Nguyen. "For example, a transfer from a hospital to another hospital, or a transfer, let's say from the nursing home to the hospital or the doctor's office".
Nguyen says the ambulance service is needed due to the amount of nursing homes in Beaumont.
"We do have a lot of nursing homes in the city, and having additional ambulances that are able to take on those contracts actually helps," said Nguyen.
There will be multiple options for those in need of non-emergency transportation that helps to reduce wait times.
"The call volume, the load, like I say, especially from a nursing home perspective, that they're not having to wait for one ambulance, they can call other ambulance services," said Nguyen.
Allen says families will benefit from the new medical transport service.
"Whatever situation comes up or arise, the ambulance service should be able to take care of it," said Allen. "And it gives you a reassurance that once the ambulance service has their loved one, they will be looked after appropriately."
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.