The launch of the EMS provider came following decades of emergency services provided by Cypress Creek EMS after ESD 11 commissioners voted in September 2020 to form its own ambulance service.
“Things have gone really well,” ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare CEO Doug Hooten said. “We’re on track to probably do close to 65,000 responses this year, which was a little bit more than we had anticipated, but because we had staffed the way that we have, we have been able to handle that.”
Hooten noted, however, supply chain issues have made it difficult for the district to procure common items such as rain gear, coats and uniforms, although he said officials are catching up on those items.
Additionally, inflation has increased the cost of almost everything the district purchases and has doubled the cost of fuel, Hooten said. However, the district’s decision to purchase hybrid ambulances that run off gasoline as opposed to diesel fuel has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars, Hooten said.
Construction is also underway on ESD 11’s new 43-acre campus, which entails remodeling the district’s old facility to include its main administrative building, 911 call center, billing center, and fleet maintenance and deployment facilities.
Hooten said the first phase of construction, which wrapped up in August, was projected to cost around $18 million, but inflation pushed that figure to around $23.7 million.
Hooten also said rot and termite damage found in the walls of existing facilities required a more extensive rebuild than initially expected.
Depending on weather and the availability of supplies, the second phase of construction, which will cost an estimated $11.7 million, is slated to be completed by early 2023.
