AMR ambulance pulling out of Tulare County

American Medical Response ambulance service will close its doors in Tulare County on Aug. 31, affecting 71 employees.

AMR and its predecessors have been in Tulare County since 1981, but low Medi-Cal reimbursements rates don’t cover operation costs, said company spokesman Jason Sorrick.

Employees can transfer to available positions in other counties where the company operates.

The company notified Tulare County in January it would be leaving the market. It will work with four other ambulance companies also in Tulare County to ensure a smooth transition, Sorrick said.

The ambulance company did about 15,000 transports last year on both emergency and non-emergency calls.

“The decision to leave Tulare County was a difficult one given our long history in the community,” the company said in a statement. “However, due to below-cost reimbursement for ambulance transports from patients covered under Medi-Cal insurance plans, AMR can no longer sustain operations in a market where reimbursement fails to cover the costs of our services and training.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "AMR ambulance pulling out of Tulare County."