This post was updated Friday evening to include a brief timeline of the ambulance issue, and to improve conciseness in the first paragraph.

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — A big decision in local health care is expected Monday, Sept. 22, as Clark County’s legislative body will hold a special meeting to consider which of two ambulance providers will have an exclusive contract to respond to medical emergencies within the county’s boundaries.

Two Arkansas-based providers are vying for a contract guaranteeing calls from the county’s central dispatch. The companies are the widespread Pafford Emergency Medical Services, established in 1967 and headquartered in Hope, and the newly founded Valor EMS, established in 2022 and based in Arkadelphia with a presence in two counties, Clark and Dallas (where it was awarded a 911 contract earlier this year).

It is the saga of 2025 for the citizenry of Clark County — akin to the biblical tale of David and Goliath. While Pafford appears to be the stronger company on paper, staunch community support for Valor could very well be what propels the smaller provider ahead of its enormous competitor.

The otherwise mundane process of choosing an ambulance service revved into high gear and became political following Baptist Health’s initial announcement that it was selling its ambulance service assets to ProMed, a business decision that crumbled when, less than two weeks later, ProMed reneged on its offer. ProMed’s withdrawal paved the way for Pafford and Valor to be the frontrunners in the deal; Pafford ultimately acquired Baptist’s fleet in an undisclosed transaction between two private companies.

The day the sale was finalized, Clark County Judge Troy Tucker made the executive decision to enter into a 90-day agreement with Pafford, the buyer, and in the meantime open a Request for Qualifications process by which the contract would be advertised statewide and call for any interested providers to submit their RFQs to the county judge’s office. 

Though other providers showed interest, only Pafford and Valor submitted official proposals. Despite some initial pushback from the county judge’s office to release the documents, The Arkadelphian obtained each provider’s RFQs under the auspices of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. At the request of each company, financial statements were redacted from the proposals. Pafford’s response, consisting of more than 150 pages, was submitted in a three-ring binder, while Valor’s 20-plus page response was bound with a binder clip. Each ambulance provider’s response to the RFQs is below in separate files.

Pafford Medical Services RFQ

Valor Emergency Medical Services RFQ

During the temporary agreement with Pafford, the county’s newly formed 911 Governing Board would, alongside Tucker, name members to a Selection Committee/Citizen Advisory Committee that would meet privately to weigh and score each provider’s submitted RFQ. The panel did just that, relaying to the 911 board that Pafford outscored Valor 280-272.

The Selection Committee’s scoresheet, obtained this week also through a FOIA request, shows that the committee scored Pafford higher than Valor in four of the eight weighted categories, with the companies tying on one category and Overall. Pafford scored higher on Clinical Operations, Financial Strength, Corporate Structure/Profile, and References. Valor scored higher on Ambulance Operations, Dispatch/Reporting/Monitoring Operations, and Cooperation with Other Agencies. The two companies tied on Accreditations/Associations and Overall. The scoresheet is below.

The Selection Committee recommended that Pafford be chosen as the contract recipient, and in a 5-2 vote the 911 board passed that recommendation on to the Quorum Court. In the aftermath of that recommendation, the Quorum Court held a regular meeting at which numerous citizens packed the room and aired their concerns to the elected justices of the peace who, at the end of the whole process, are expected to make the final decision.

That final decision could be made at the upcoming special-called meeting this Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Clark County Court Complex, 419 Clay St., Arkadelphia.

On Monday’s agenda:

• Justices to discuss findings of the RFQs on the Ambulance Service

• [Valor CEO] John Windham to answer any questions about the Valor EMS RFQ response that was submitted. Sponsor: Justice Jimmy King

• [Pafford CEO] Jamie Pafford Gresham to provide a report for 4-month contract to the court. Sponsor: Justice Michael Ankton

Quorum Court meetings are open to the public.

• Ambulance Timeline

  March 13

  • Baptist announces sale of ambulance service to ProMed
  • Almost two weeks later, ProMed backs out of sale

  April 3

  • Baptist announces sale of ambulance service to Pafford
  • County judge announces 90-day agreement with Pafford to answer Clark County’s 911 medical calls, announces RFQ and advisory board process

  Mid-June

  • The advisory board had yet to be named, and the RFQs had yet to be published

  July 2

  • The original 90-day agreement ends, but an extension was awarded in June

  Aug. 12

  • County judge announces that 2 companies submitted proposals: Pafford and Valor
  • The judge also announces the names selected to the advisory board

  Sept. 2

  • After a private meeting, the advisory board hands its recommendation, Pafford EMS, to the 911 Governing Board, which in turn votes 5-2 to pass the recommendation to the Quorum Court

  Sept. 8

  • Citizens pack a Quorum Court meeting to air concerns regarding the choice in provider
  • The county judge informs members of the Quorum Court that they will receive each provider’s proposals to make their decision at a special-called meeting on Sept. 22
  • The county judge says each company CEO is invited to answer questions related to the proposals at that meeting