As the baby boom generation ages and medical advances expand the average lifespan, The T&D Region has seen a boom of a different sort.

A number of non-emergency, private ambulance transport services have seen a market in the growing and aging populace and are coming into the area to do business.

“People are living a lot longer than they used to,” says Shanita White, Regional Ambulance EMS manager. “I think Orangeburg is growing and the needs of the people are growing. There is a lot more of a demand for ambulance services. The health care need is also growing.”

Regional Ambulance opened its Broughton Street office in November 2007. The company also has offices in Columbia and Aiken.

“At the time, there did not seem to be enough services in Orangeburg,” White said. “There are a lot of patient care facilities here.”

Regional Ambulance is just one of several private, non-emergency and emergency transport services to target Orangeburg County and the surrounding area in recent years.

The private services, which are regulated by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, run primarily to nursing homes, doctors’ offices and dialysis clinics. But the ambulances are equipped to handle emergency calls if needed.

Columbia-based Capital City Ambulance arrived in Orangeburg 14 months ago.

General Manager Bobby Hickson said, “Think about the baby boomers and the amount of older clientele. The nursing homes and baby boomers will come online. They will be your next big wave and they are a very large group.”

Also, “Orangeburg County has a high number of renal failures. We see a lot of dialysis patients,” he said.

American Heritage Ambulance on Broughton Street and Bowman’s Pendarvis Ambulance (formerly Community Transport) are among some of the others providing private ambulance services in the area. Personal Care Ambulance provides services in Bamberg County for the Bamberg County Hospital and Nursing Center.

Orangeburg County Emergency Services Director John Smith, who started the county’s EMS system about 23 years ago, said the increase in the number of private transport companies can be attributed to a graying population.

“We are seeing longer life spans and more extended medical care,” he said. “It has created a niche market.”

According to the 2006 census, about 14.1 percent of Orangeburg County’s population is over 65 years old compared to 13.2 percent in 2000.

In Calhoun County, those over 65 make up 14 percent of the population, compared to 13.8 percent in 2000. In Bamberg County, 15.2 percent of the population was over 65 in 2006 compared to 13.9 percent in 2000.

Smith said the private services are welcome due to the medical needs in the area.

Orangeburg County EMS only handles emergency 911 calls. With nine ambulances and six fully staffed, Smith said the county received about 13,767 calls last year alone. That was up slightly from the annual average of 12,500 calls.

Ambulances are stationed in Orangeburg, Neeses, Santee and Holly Hill.

“It is a big county,” Smith said. “It is a challenge sometimes and we could use more trucks and staff, but you have to balance the need with budget constraints.”

Currently, there are no private ambulance service companies based in Calhoun County, Emergency Services Director Bill Minikiewicz said.

“We don’t have any (private ambulance services) based here because our population is so small there is not enough business to support one,” he said.

Calhoun County EMS operates six ambulances and typically responds to about 3,000 calls a year.

Three crews are on duty 24 hours a day with ambulances located three areas -- St. Matthews, Sandy Run and Cameron. A fourth ambulance is available as needed.

Martha Hammett, Bamberg County EMS operations manager, said private, non-emergency transport companies do come in handy when the county’s three ambulances are busy.

Hammett said the county’s EMS department focuses primarily on emergency response, although it does provide non-emergency transport services out of the Bamberg County Hospital and Nursing Center Emergency Room.

“It is pretty much like anywhere else. You will have all trucks tied up at one time and another call will come through,” Hammett said. “If the trucks are not cleared, we will call for mutual aid from the surrounding counties.”

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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