An initiative to get financial assistance from the V.I. National Park for Emergency Medical Services on St. John appears to be on indefinite hold.
National Park Service and EMS officials say talks were held at the start of this year about the possibility of federal reimbursement for ambulance calls made for park visitors.
But Dr. Herbert Sanders, director of the territory's ambulance service, says the chances of such an agreement winning approval may have been lost, now that Park Supt. Russell Berry Jr. is retiring.
"We had a meeting with Mr. Berry," Sanders said. "It was very pleasant, and we left with the understanding that there would be some follow-up on his part." But then he added, "It probably has died with him."
The EMS chief said 25 percent of all ambulance calls on St. John come from the park asking assistance for visitors who either are in medical crisis or are victims of accidents.
Citing financial reports on ambulance service operations in the month of May, Sanders said 20 ambulance calls were made on St. John to a total cost of $54,000. "If we could get some subsidy from the federal government, obviously it would be a great help," he said.
Berry could not be reached for comment. However, Judy Shafer, the park assistant superintendent, said she had received a follow-up letter from Sanders dated Feb. 17. "To the best of my knowledge, nothing further has happened on this," she said. "I don't know what the legal mechanisms would be to offer this type of assistance."
Shafer said the chances of reimbursement for ambulance service provided to park visitors are probably slim because the V.I. National Park is operating on a tight budget.
Sanders said he intends to pursue the matter further once a new park superintendent is in place. He said if St. John's ambulance service could receive partial reimbursement, it might be able to hire as many as three more EMT's.