CAVENDISH, Vt. — At their Jan. 25 meeting, the Cavendish Selectboard approved the Town Meeting warning, discussed the draft of the Annual Report, and heard from resident Wendy Regier about her concerns about using Ludlow Ambulance as the town’s emergency transportation service.
Regier said that last year when she needed emergency transportation, Ludlow Ambulance had declined to take her to Mount Ascutney Hospital, saying they were contractually bound to go only to Springfield Hospital. The Vermont Statewide Emergency Medical Services Protocols dictate that generally ambulances should take patients to the closest and most appropriate hospital, which she said for her would be Mount Ascutney, as that is where her normal physicians and medical records are located. Regier said she spoke to several Springfield hospital employees about this, and was politely told that their hands were tied. “I would have a stroke and die in my house rather than go to Springfield Hospital,” she told the selectboard, saying that many other Cavendish residents shared similar sentiments. Regier was worried that this year’s voting by Australian ballot will prevent Cavendish from being able to discuss and amend the Town Meeting article about the Ludlow Ambulance funding. She said she had come to the Selectboard that evening to ensure her concerns were heard.
The selectboard also approved the Town Meeting warning, and discussed some clarifications in the wording of the Annual Report, agreeing that the latter document needed rigorous proofreading. They also discussed the potential effects of holding future Town Meetings using Australian ballot, especially its potential to increase voter participation, but decrease opportunities for article discussion and amendment.
Afterwards, the selectboard went into executive session for the rest of the meeting.
The Cavendish Selectboard holds their normal meetings on the second Monday of each month, at 6:30 p.m., at the town office.