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The City of Port Arthur City Council recently presented a one-year, non-exclusive agreement for Acadian Ambulance to continue operations within the city limits.

The City established a deadline of Nov. 10 for the execution of the agreement by Acadian Ambulance.

Over the past several weeks, officials from Acadian said they have met with several city officials, including Fire Chief Greg Benson and City Manager Ron Burton, to discuss operational details and seek clarification on how the multi-provider system would be implemented.

During these discussions, Acadian continued to provide service in the City of Port Arthur under the terms of our previous agreement.

“On Nov. 10, we received a letter from the City of Port Arthur advising us that Acadian Ambulance would no longer be able to operate under the terms of the previous agreement while we continue to clarify the terms of the new proposed agreement,” an Acadian statement read.

“Acadian Ambulance is dedicated to continuing to work with City of Port Arthur officials to reach an agreement on the details and implementation of the city’s recent decision to allow additional ambulance services to operate within the city.”

Acadian Ambulance officials said they remain committed to the residents of Port Arthur and are diligently working to determine the parameters of an agreement that best serves Port Arthur residents.

Acadian officials said they remain hopeful the issues surrounding a complex multi-provider agreement will be resolved soon.

“We have operated in Port Arthur for 17 years and have proudly been the 911 provider for the last 13 years. We have no interest in leaving the city, its citizens or the health care facilities with whom we have long-standing relationships. We have been with the city throughout Hurricane Harvey, the pandemic and many other emergency situations,” Acadian Ambulance President Justin Back said.

“We continue to seek a way forward with the city that is transparent, fair and equitable between the two providers in the city. The citizens of Port Arthur deserve exceptional, reliable, proven emergency medical services, and Acadian hopes to continue to provide that service to them.”