Despite reassurances from Flandreau City and Moody County officials that they will work together to ensure ongoing and uninterrupted ambulance services for the city of Flandreau, time may be running out to secure a solution.
This past week, following a well-attended community meeting November 25 on the issue, each local entity addressed the matter during their regularly scheduled meetings.
The city voted to reestablish an ambulance task force, “so the county, city, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and Avera can work together to come up with a solution for ambulance services.”
County commissioners, facing a more immediate need, learned that surrounding communities that have traditionally supported ambulance services in Flandreau are no longer willing to assist.
The last small group meeting between the city and county was held on Sept. 23. At that time, Dell Rapids had already informed the county they would likely no longer be covering Flandreau. On occasion it may be possible, but the director there has left it up to his staff depending on what else is going on.
Shortly after, Brookings withdrew its support, and by late September, commission assistant Marty Skroch reported to commissioners that Madison had also pulled out of providing coverage for anything east of Colman.

“They got frustrated with a call out of Riverview (Healthcare) that happened at midnight. Brookings couldn’t come. Dell Rapids said no. Madison ended up driving over to Riverview at midnight to bring someone to Avera, and at that point, they said they were done. If our dispatchers call Madison asking them to come to Flandreau, the response they will get is, ‘We don’t come to Flandreau.’ City council doesn’t know this because we didn’t have a discussion about it. It would have been good information for them to know, but we didn’t get to have that discussion,” Skroch said.
The Moody County Ambulance Service has consistently reported operating at an annual loss of nearly $70,000, citing rising costs, increased regulations, and low reimbursement rates.
The county has requested an annual $25,000 stipend from the city of Flandreau or the transfer of the city’s former fire hall to improve operations and ensure uninterrupted services.
City and county residents attending the recent joint meeting voiced frustrations with both entities, urging them to find a solution and warned against putting lives at risk.
The ambulance service, Skroch explained, has operated at a loss since 1988. At that time, former ambulance owner and director Mark Bonrud asked the county to take over the service, citing high costs, staffing challenges, and insufficient Medicare reimbursement rates. According to Skroch’s notes, Bonrud’s ambulance was breaking down, and he could not afford a replacement.
This past week, the city appointed Aldermen Mike Fargen, Karen Tufty, and Tim Yeaton, along with Mayor Dan Sutton and Administrator Cohl Turnquist, to an ambulance task force.
Community members interested in contributing to the task force are encouraged to contact Mayor Sutton or Administrator Turnquist.
The county maintains that calls from the city of Flandreau incur exponentially higher costs for the county than those from other cities or townships and that the city should bear a portion of the expense.
City officials argue they already support ambulance services through staffing for transports and other means. They also maintain that the sale of the old fire hall is necessary to offset the costs of constructing a new fire station.
The county did just hire a new Ambulance Director, Abby Entringer. More on the hire and the hopes for her in this new role, in next week’s edition. Entringer begins December 16th.