Local News in Brief : Paramedic Service Fees

Hawthorne residents will begin paying for paramedic services immediately under a plan approved Monday by the City Council.

The council set a dual fee schedule, with residents allowed to pay $35 annually for paramedic services or to be billed on a per-use basis. Though city officials said the program will take effect immediately, it will be several months before any billing takes place.

The council, stressing that no one will be denied service because of inability to pay, exempted senior citizens, persons receiving supplemental Social Security or permanent Social Security disability checks, as well as residents who are physically or mentally disabled.

The city expects to collect about 70% of the fees billed, providing about $511,000 a year to help offset the $771,000 it costs Hawthorne to operate two paramedic units.

Subscriptions costing $35 a year per household will include all the services that non-subscribers will pay for on a per-use basis. Apartment owners can pay $25 a unit to provide the paramedic subscriptions for tenants, officials said.

For non-subscribers, the city will charge $75 for emergencies that are not life-threatening, such as bandaging or splinting; $175 for life-threatening situations--in which paramedics administer drugs or intravenous fluids or treat heart attack victims--and $150 for ambulance transportation.