SIDNEY -- A little more than three weeks ago, Morrill County Community Hospital officially started providing emergency medical service to Cheyenne County.

Morrill County Community Hospital was one of two organizations to approach Cheyenne County after Regional West announced it will not be renewing its contract with Cheyenne County.

"We were set to begin operations in Sidney to provide ambulance service on July 1. We actually had to begin about eight hours earlier so there would be no gap in service coverage to this area," Odiet said Tuesday.

Odiet was present at the July 25 Sidney City Council meeting to update the council on the first weeks of service with Morrill County.  He said as of July 25, MCCH has responded to 130 calls for service. He said MCCH has been able to respond well below the national average for rural ambulance services.

"The national average, response time, for rural areas, is about 14 minutes, from 911 until they arrive on scene," Odiet said. 

He said the state shows the average in the Panhandle is closer to 18 minutes. 

"We currently, for this month, for all the calls we've done and the vast area that we cover now, we're averaging 8.2 minutes, from 911 until we're on scene with the patient. We are by far way ahead of the regional and national average," he said.

He said the crews have worked through many challenges to make sure no call is missed. He also thanked the Cheyenne County communities and agencies for their support. He said MCCH had 10 days to have the program in place from when the agreement was approved until service was required.

He said "why we do it" is what sets MCCH apart from other service providers. He said MCCH CEO Robin Stewart said they have a moral obligation to help Cheyenne County.