Steamboat-based EMS Unlimited will begin offering a new ambulance ground transport service focused on patients who do not require an airlift.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Ebin Latrimurti, president of Event Medical Solutions (EMS) Unlimited, saw a need in the region he believes his company can help fill.

Beginning in mid-December, the Steamboat Springs-based company will begin offering ambulance transport to hospitals in Denver or Grand Junction.

Based on personal experience and the past eight years spent working and living in the valley, Latrimurti said there are patients who need transport to other locations for care but not necessarily by air. Currently, patients with acute medical conditions requiring transport to larger hospitals on the Western Slope or Front Range rely on medical aircraft or local 911 assets.

To maximize geographical reach, the new ambulance, or Advanced Life Support Ground Transport, will be based in Hayden.

“Communities and healthcare facilities from Meeker to Craig and Steamboat to Kremmling have shown a demand for a dedicated provider to offer the specialized service,” Latrimurtri said.

And, there is “a significant cost difference” between ground and air transport, Latrimurti said.

There are numerous stories from across the country of patients unexpectedly receiving bills anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 for air transport with insurance paying a small fraction.

While obviously some circumstances require air transport, ground transport can be an alternative for certain situations, Latrimurti said.

Working with local hospitals and emergency responders, Latrimurti emphasizes he has no intention of competing with or replacing existing services, but rather to operate alongside existing organizations and supplement transportation needs whenever they arise.

UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center does not own their own ambulance, helicopter or plane, “but has longstanding, positive relationships with a number of emergency service providers — and are open to new options in the area — to ensure patients receive the care they need in a safe and timely manner,” according to YVMC Communications Specialist Lindsey Reznicek.

The new service can benefit the community as a whole, Latrimurti said — patients, hospitals and local emergency response agencies. By being available 24/7 to transport patients longer distances, they can take some of the strain off of local emergency services, he hopes, and keep their resources close by.

“We want to do whatever we can do to support and work alongside the fire department,” Latrimurti said, acknowledging their request for additional funding in the recent election. “And we will do so in whatever way they see works best.”

And for the average citizen, “their health care is their right and responsibility,” Latrimurti said. He wants everyone to know the new service is also directly available to them. Transports can be requested by calling 1-800-674-7764.

Founded in 2012, EMS  Solutions provides special event consulting, medical staffing, emergency management and operational support. For the first time in 2018, they deployed medical teams to the front lines of wildfires to provide care for the firefighters.

So far, Latrimurti said the feedback from healthcare facilities on the new ambulance service has been overwhelmingly positive.

To reach Kari Dequine Harden, call 970-871-4205, email kharden@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @KariHarden.