A Maryville entrepreneur has launched Blount County’s sixth ambulance service, filling a gap in non-emergency medical transport as the county’s population continues to grow.
Jim Caughron, owner of CTS Ambulance Service, spent three years navigating state licensing requirements before receiving his permit from the Tennessee Department of Health.
The company operates as a private ground ambulance service focused on non-emergency transport — moving patients between hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities and homes. The associated costs for this type of transport, Caughron said, are significantly less expensive than emergency transport. Therefore Caughron sees this service as a benefit to the community.
“We are not a threat to AMR. We’re not in competition with them,” Caughron said. “We are local, homegrown, and decided to try our hand at this and make a go of it.”
Caughron, a 20-year veteran of the moving industry and active Blount County firefighter, said demand projections suggest the company may need to add a truck every quarter for the next two years.
For information, visit CTSnon911.com.
