Audit says EMSA engaged in 'questionable, extravagant' spending.
State Auditor Gary Jones on Tuesday released the special investigative audit requested last year by the Emergency Medical Services Authority Board of Trustees. In a statement, he says he took a close look at things with a view toward EMSA's effectiveness and efficiency of operation. "Frankly, EMSA is a public entity that provides industry leading medical transport for people during critical life moments," he said. "It has also engaged in questionable, extravagant spending without regard for the public interest and its rate payers specifically. These excessive, and we believe unwarranted, expenditures are the very thing that erode public trust because they do nothing to promote accountability." The report recommends the implementation and utilitization of policies involving purchasing, expense reimbursement, and conflict of interest disclosure. It cites the absence of these policies as resulting in the unintentional fostering of a culture of inappropriate spending practices and a failure to report potential conflicts of interest to members of the board. The Report is available online at www.sai.ok.gov.
