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Chief Administrative Office, Emergency Medical Services & Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, recommending the Board consider the following related to the receipt of funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for ambulance services:
1) Authorize the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to sign an attestation confirming the receipt of funding in the amount of $168,678 and agreeing to the terms and conditions of the payment;
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign a budget transfer increasing revenues and appropriations in County Service Areas 3 and 7 to distribute the funding to the ambulance service contractors in those areas (4/5 vote required);
3) Find that providing this funding to ambulance service contractors supports a valuable public benefit by assisting such contractors to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus; and
4) Authorize the CAO to sign funding agreements, contingent upon County Counsel approval, or claims for direct payments to the California-Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority, the El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority, and the North Tahoe Fire Protection District for documented eligible expenses incurred by those agencies.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the CARES Act, which includes $100 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. The County received $168,678 specifically for ambulance transport, which is a proportionate share of the County's Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019. The County's ambulance service contractors are incurring additional costs for additional staffing and items such as cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment as a result of their response to the coronavirus pandemic. The funding was distributed to the County, as the Medicare billing entity for ambulance services; however, this funding should be provide...
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