Burney will oversee the creation of a state-of-the-art emergency medical dispatch center in Beaumont. All of Acadian's responses in Southeast Texas will be dispatched from the new center.

Acadian Ambulance Service, 911 and non-emergency medical transportation provider for Orange, Jefferson and Hardin counties, has acquired Stat Care EMS. Stat Care provides emergency and non-emergency services in five counties in Texas.

Acadian, which began operating in Texas in 2006, plans to assume Stat Care’s operations in Jefferson, Hardin, Jasper, Sabine and Newton counties May 25. There will be no interruption of service.

“This is a case of two good companies coming together,” Stat Care owner Rod Carroll said. “We had been planning to sell the company to our employees as an ESOP; this allows us to do it more quickly. It’s a good opportunity for our employees to go to work for an ESOP and a good opportunity for Southeast Texas.”

Acadian Ambulance, owned by its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, hopes to hire all qualified medics and dispatchers from StatCare. Those who are hired will receive the same or, in many cases, higher salaries based on their years of service with Stat Care, according to Acadian Ambulance officials. These employees will be eligible for health insurance immediately and for the ESOP retirement plan during the next enrollment period.

“Stat Care and its employees have served Southeast Texas well for more than 60 years,” said Jerry Romero, Acadian’s vice president of operations for Southeast Texas. “Bringing our two companies together will benefit the patients and customers of both.”

Acadian, established in Louisiana in 1971, is nationally accredited, one of only 134 ambulance services in the world and one of five in Texas to have earned the prestigious designation.

As part of the acquisition, Acadian will upgrade and expand Stat Care’s communications center to create a state-of-the-art emergency medical dispatch center. All of Acadian’s responses in Southeast Texas will be dispatched from the Beaumont center.

Acadian plans to use only certified medical dispatchers trained to offer callers first aid and medical advice, so they can begin helping patients even before an ambulance arrives. Acadian dispatchers will use mapping and computer technologies in the communications center and on board every ambulance to improve response times to emergency calls, Romero said. 

Company officials have committed to equipping every ambulance with safety improvements such as a driver-monitoring system, similar to the “black boxes” used on airplanes; motorized stretchers to help prevent employee injuries; and specialized equipment designed to help paramedics carry patients safely down stairs.

Acadian also is planning to create a National EMS Academy site in Silsbee. The academy, which already has locations in Orange and Austin, provides training and continuing education for EMTs and paramedics. NEMSA’s paramedic program is nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Acadian employee named Bridge City Ambassador of the Year

Rickey Land, a community relations supervisor for Acadian Ambulance’s Southeast Texas operation, has been named the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Ambassador of the Year. He was honored for outstanding service at the chamber’s annual banquet Feb. 20, 2010. Land, who joined Acadian in 2006, is a lifelong resident of Bridge City. He graduated from Bridge City High School in 1964 and attended Lamar University and Lamar State College-Orange. He serves as chaplain for the Orange County Firefighters Association and is a strong supporter of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program. He retired from the Bridge City Volunteer Fire Department after 30 years of service.

Acadian honors four Port Neches firefighters 

Four Port Neches firefighters have received Outstanding Samaritan Meritorious Service Awards from Acadian Ambulance Service. The award, presented at a ceremony Jan. 18, honors those who put service to others above themselves. The firefighters -- Eric Woodward, Jacob Monceaux, Shawn Gearinger and Guy Bodin – worked closely with Acadian medics to treat two elderly patients in life-threatening condition. The outstanding pre-hospital care provided by Acadian’s medics and the firefighters helped make it possible for both patients to be released from the hospital within days of the incident.

Ribbon-cutting held at Silsbee office

Acadian Ambulance Service, in conjunction with the Silsbee Chamber of Commerce, officially opened its Silsbee Administration Office with a ribbon-cutting Nov. 12, 2009. The office is at 2600 Nerren Drive. Acadian, which began serving Southeast Texas communities in June 2006, expanded to Hardin County in July 2009. The company employs more than 150 team members in Southeast Texas.

Acadian recognizes AT&T worker as ‘Outstanding Samaritan’

Acadian Ambulance has honored Orange resident and AT&T technician Bobby Click for his quick actions that saved the life of a 3-year-old girl in Vidor. In a ceremony at Baptist Hospital Orange on July 7, 2009, Click received the Outstanding Samaritan Meritorious Award, given to those who don’t hesitate to put others ahead of themselves. Click was working at a customer’s house when they discovered their 3-year-old motionless in the swimming pool. He responded immediately, performing CPR until Acadian medics Mike Manley and Cindy Powell arrived. AT&T requires its employees to take CPR training every two years. “I thank God that he put me there and brought her back,” Click said at the award ceremony. “She’s a beautiful little girl who can smile again, and everyone can hug on her again and that’s good.”

Acadian adds service to Orange County, Texas

Acadian Ambulance Service expanded to Texas in June 2006, providing service to Orange County. In choosing Acadian, Orange County officials credited the company’s stability, customer-based service and the proximity of Acadian’s Calcasieu Parish service area. The area to be served includes the cities of Orange, Bridge City, West Orange and Pinehurst, three emergency service districts and the unincorporated jurisdiction of Orange County. “With its proximity to our Calcasieu Parish operation, the move into Orange is a practical step that will allow the kind of network of personnel, ambulances and technology that serves our current service area so well, particularly when there is an unusually heavy demand for resources because of a natural or manmade disaster,” said Jerry Romero, vice president of operations. “We are bringing to Orange County 35 years of experience by courageous, caring, highly skilled medics. We look forward to a long and highly positive relationship.”