EFFINGHAM, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Public Health is confirming the emergency suspension of a local ambulance company.

According to IDPH, Lakeside EMS was served with an emergency suspension last month as part of an ongoing investigation.

A press release issued by Lakeside EMS’s attorney, Andrew Koester of Taylor Law Offices in Effingham, answered some questions about the situation.

Koester said Lakeside EMS immediately contacted the IDPH last week about “financial and inventory irregularities” it had discovered, and that the firm hoped the IDPH suspension will be short-lived.

His press release stated that due to the nature of the irregularities, the IDPH determined it was necessary to suspend Lakeside EMS’s licensing, and therefore, “effective as of 12:01 a.m. on March 31, 2023, Lakeside EMS’s operations have been temporarily suspended.”

The individuals involved in the reported financial and inventory irregularities are no longer employed by Lakeside EMS, said Koester, and the company is working to prevent similar issues in the future.

Lakeside EMS is based in Effingham, but served communities in and around Mt. Vernon, Centralia, and Alton.