COVINGTON, Ga. – Piedmont Newton Hospital will continue to provide ambulance service in Newton County, according to a statement from hospital CEO Eric Bour, MD provided by hospital spokesperson Sydney Walker.

“I’m pleased to report we’ve decided to retain our EMS license and continue providing EMS services independently,” Bour said. “As you know, our hospital previously was in talks with National EMS about a potential partnership contract. However, our leadership team unanimously agreed to retain the license in-house and continue to operate services without contracting a third-party service.  Piedmont Newton’s main goals have remained the same throughout this process, ensuring the citizens of Newton County have reliable EMS services and looking out for the well-being of our employees. We thank you for your patience and support as we explored all options, and look forward to continuing our 40-year tradition of providing EMS services to the community.”

Piedmont Newton informed Newton County June 27 that it intended to retain control of its license to provide ambulance service. It had reportedly earlier said it would surrender its ambulance license after the Board of Commissioners (BOC) declined to provide a $1.7 million subsidy for the service.

County Public Information Officer Bryan Fazio said the county is not providing a financial subsidy to Piedmont Newton for the service.