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WINTON – A new company specializing in the non-emergency medical transport of military veterans has been approved for operation in Hertford County.

At last week’s meeting of the Hertford County Board of Commissioners, Ahoskie Ambulance Service (AAS) was granted a conditional basic non-emergency transport franchise.

AAS, represented by co-owners Lance L. Joyner Jr. of Windsor and Allison Slade of Millennium, initially presented their request for an operational franchise at the Nov. 4 meeting of the county commissioners. According to an information packet provided to the board members, Joyner is retired from the United States Air Force and has spent the past six years working as an EMT with Coastal Medical Transport Services of Windsor. Slade is also a certified EMT.

Together, the duo said they envisioned forming a non-emergency medical transport company that would specialize in transporting military veterans to Veterans Administration facilities.

“We are excited about helping Veterans get to their much-needed appointments,” said Slade in a letter sent to James Broglin, Director of Hertford County Emergency Medical Services. “We want to specialize in out of town runs. We would also provide to county clients who have [medical] appointments in Hertford County.”

She further explained in the letter that AAS, which will be based at 119 Railroad Street in Ahoskie, will be a 24-hour business that is able to assist with late-night services.

At the Nov. 4 meeting, Ronald Gatling, Chairman of the Hertford County Commissioners, urged Joyner and Slade to meet with Broglin to go over all the details of their business and their application for a franchise.

The Hertford County EMS Transportation Advisory Committee met later the same day where the AAS franchise application was approved. That committee is charged with the task of reviewing all applications to ensure they meet all state and local EMS requirements and then forward their findings/decision to the commissioners for final judgment.

Broglin, speaking at the Nov. 18 commissioners’ meeting, said that the advisory committee had ruled in favor of the AAS franchise on the condition that all requirements of the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services are met within 90 days and all Hertford County requirements are met within 150 days.

He added that the Advisory Committee favorably viewed the AAS application due to an apparent need for increased non-emergency medical transports in 2020; the desire to have a response time of 30 minutes or less, especially for long distance transports that AAS intends to specialize in; and the potential for a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business with a Veterans Administration contract potentially located in Hertford County.

The commissioners approved the AAS franchise without objection.