Policy Changes Ordered for North Dakota EMS System

BISMARCK A North Dakota nonprofit that violated the state s open meetings law and used federal disaster planning money on alcohol and other unallowable items could be barred from government contracts unless it changes its policies, the state Health Department said in a letter to the group Wednesday.

In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, the department gives the North Dakota EMS Association a Sept. 30 deadline to make policy changes. The association represents about 1,800 ambulance and emergency workers.

Clearly, there is a lack of systems in place to ensure compliance with contract requirements, state and federal regulations, and basic governmental accounting standards, the letter said.

Mark Weber, the association s president, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

The Bismarck-based EMS association received about $810,000 between 2004 and last year to help produce a plan to fight bioterrorism and other mass disasters. The Health Department ordered the association in July to repay more than $124,000 of the money spent on alcohol, lobbying, bonuses and other questionable expenses.

The group repaid the money last month, said Tim Wiedrich, chief of the Health Department s emergency preparedness and response section.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the group also broke state law in closing a board meeting to talk about an unfavorable audit. North Dakota s open meetings law applies to the group because it acts on behalf of the government, he said.

The association s board excluded the public from a meeting it held last October to look over the audit. Stenehjem said the reasons for the secret meeting did not follow state law, and it appeared the board knew the audit would have damaging information.

The Health Department s letter says the group s board of directors must acknowledge the errors and is committed to making sure that they do not happen again.

At this point the determination whether they will or won t face further sanctions has not been determined, Wiedrich said.

Wiedrich said the EMS association did produce an adequate plan to deal with mass disasters, despite the misspending. He said the group has no government contracts at present.

Clearly, there are some contracts they could be interested in, in the future, he said.

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