Private company looking to replace Superior’s last ambulance
CHENANGO COUNTY – Local fire officials confirmed Tuesday that a private company has agreed to replace one of the three ambulances the county will have lost when Superior Inc. closes its Norwich office for good Thursday.
Cooperstown Medical Transport (CMT), which operates in Delaware and Otsego counties, plans to bring in one ambulance to specifically handle hospital-to-hospital and medical transports, said county fire and emergency coordinator Matt Beckwith.
The announcement doesn’t relieve the county’s current ambulance crisis, Beckwith added, but will keep it from getting worse while a long-term plan is developed.
“It’s absolutely good news,” he said. “We’re hanging on by a shoestring. But every little bit helps.”
CMT still has to be issued a “Certificate of Need” from the state Department of Health before it can begin servicing Chenango County. Beckwith said the company has applied for the certificate, but is unsure when the process will be completed.
Representatives from the company were not available for comment Tuesday morning.
The Board of Supervisors is reviewing a long-term plan submitted by Beckwith that involves the county implementing a “fly car” system, where county-employed paramedics would drive to emergency scenes from strategically placed points and staff local volunteer ambulances, who have trouble supplying highly trained personnel.
“We still need to improve the system,” said Beckwith, referring to the county’s current emergency services. “It’s a better system than we’ve had in a longtime. And we don’t want a band-aid. We want to fix it. This will help.”
Superior had covered the majority of medical transports after it cut-back its number of ambulances from three to one in January, citing a lack of profitable business.
With CMT coming in, it will save the City of Norwich and other emergency squads from handling transports to medical facilities in Binghamton and Cooperstown and keep them on call for emergencies, Beckwith said.
As for the fly car, CMT doesn’t think it will hurt their business, according to Beckwith.
“They think it’s an excellent idea,” he said. “The fly car won’t be taking business away from them. It will keep their ambulance in service to handle inter-facility and mental health transports.”
Cooperstown Medical Transport (CMT), which operates in Delaware and Otsego counties, plans to bring in one ambulance to specifically handle hospital-to-hospital and medical transports, said county fire and emergency coordinator Matt Beckwith.
The announcement doesn’t relieve the county’s current ambulance crisis, Beckwith added, but will keep it from getting worse while a long-term plan is developed.
“It’s absolutely good news,” he said. “We’re hanging on by a shoestring. But every little bit helps.”
CMT still has to be issued a “Certificate of Need” from the state Department of Health before it can begin servicing Chenango County. Beckwith said the company has applied for the certificate, but is unsure when the process will be completed.
Representatives from the company were not available for comment Tuesday morning.
The Board of Supervisors is reviewing a long-term plan submitted by Beckwith that involves the county implementing a “fly car” system, where county-employed paramedics would drive to emergency scenes from strategically placed points and staff local volunteer ambulances, who have trouble supplying highly trained personnel.
“We still need to improve the system,” said Beckwith, referring to the county’s current emergency services. “It’s a better system than we’ve had in a longtime. And we don’t want a band-aid. We want to fix it. This will help.”
Superior had covered the majority of medical transports after it cut-back its number of ambulances from three to one in January, citing a lack of profitable business.
With CMT coming in, it will save the City of Norwich and other emergency squads from handling transports to medical facilities in Binghamton and Cooperstown and keep them on call for emergencies, Beckwith said.
As for the fly car, CMT doesn’t think it will hurt their business, according to Beckwith.
“They think it’s an excellent idea,” he said. “The fly car won’t be taking business away from them. It will keep their ambulance in service to handle inter-facility and mental health transports.”
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