Nakialeeann Garrett: AMR a bad choice

I have been an employee with Riggs Ambulance Service since 2004 and I am saddened by the thought of the Board of Supervisors giving the final OK for American Medical Response to become the ambulance provider for Merced County.

RAS has been the income to so many families for decades, and with the impending job losses this county's unemployment rate of 14.7 percent will only rise. Of the 130 employees, at most only 45 may be provided jobs with AMR.

RAS has kept so many things local -- free stand-by ambulances to high schools; free CPR classes provided; hundreds of thousands in ambulance bill write-offs; an EMS explorer program, approximately $1 million a year spent with local vendors by Riggs. What is AMR offering to offset the loss of jobs and revenue that this county is setting itself up for?

I hope the supervisors are ready to answer these questions if they make the final decision to have AMR be the ambulance provider for Merced County.

NAKIALEEANN GARRETT Merced