CORINTH, Maine — The town of Corinth will be losing an ambulance after Northern Light Mayo Hospital decided to end an emergency medical services agreement with the town.
Mayo Hospital has provided the Corinth Fire Department with a fully staffed ambulance for the past 15 years, but on Sept. 12 that's coming to an end.
"Honestly, we're devastated that this relationship has ended," Corinth Fire Department Captain Matt Nadeau said.
Since 2009, the fire department has relied on the ambulance for the majority of medical emergency responses in town.
Corinth has its own ambulance, but it has mostly served as a backup, since the fire department doesn't have the staff to run it 24/7.
Now when there's a medical emergency in Corinth, Bradford, or Charleston, most ambulances will come from Dover-Foxcroft or Dexter, over 20 minutes away.
"We will definitely experience longer response times here in Corinth but that's if an ambulance is available," Nadeau said.
Northern Light said it decided to end its contract with Corinth because it no longer has the staff to maintain full coverage at the station, now taking a regional approach to EMS coverage.
In a statement Communications Director of Northern Light Mayo Hospital Andrew Soucier said, "Given the very significant challenges that EMS providers face, we must be open to new ideas and committed to working together—it's what we need to do to ensure that a highly trained professional responds every time that a call comes in."
Nadeau, in addition to being a captain of the Corinth Fire Department, is also a paramedic. He is one of the people who drives the Mayo Hospital ambulance, so for him, its loss is personal.
"After Thursday, I won't be working out of this fire station again," Nadeau said.
He said he will likely be relocated to Dover-Foxcroft or Dexter to staff the ambulances there.
"Honestly I was saddened," Nadeau said.
Now the fire department is working with the town to figure out how to fill the gap in coverage.
"Coming up with a plan to have a call schedule to meet the needs of the citizens," Nadeau said.
The Corinth Fire Department is hosting a workshop with the Corinth Select Board at the fire station on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. They will be discussing the town's EMS plans going forward and hearing from the public.