City seeking ambulance services

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The future of ambulance services in Newcastle and Weston County is uncertain after Roger Hespe, owner of Newcastle Ambulance Service, announced his plans to retire on Facebook and in a letter addressed to the City of Newcastle in June of this year. 
According to Mayor Pam Gualtieri, the Newcastle City Council reached out to  the Weston County commissioners, as well as Upton and Osage, to discuss the future of ambulance services in the area after receiving notice of the planned retirement. 
“It is a serious issue. There is no state statute saying we are required to have EMS services, but it is definitely needed,” Gualtieri said. “We have to have a plan of action, and it can’t just be the council. It is going to take the whole county.” 
The mayor said that discussions are in the beginning stages and include various options. 
Gualtieri told the News Letter Journal that individuals, both local and not,  have expressed interest in acquiring the ambulance service from Hespe. If this were to occur, the service would remain a private business. 
The other options, according to Gualtieri, involve some form of government-operated service, whether that be city, county or hospital run. 
“We have been able to open the doors with the other entities. That is a huge start,” Gualtieri said. “I am confident something is going to happen. … The question is whether it will be A, B or C.”
Gualtieri said that she plans to continue developing plans for all the options, just in case.  
The next step will be meeting with the Weston County Health Services board of trustees on Thursday, Gualtieri said. She noted that others involved in the discussion, including representatives from the county, Osage and Upton, will join her. 
“This is going to be a big eye opener. There are a lot of changes coming,” Gualtieri said.
Hespe declined to comment further about his retirement.