Emergency medical services providers in Cayuga County are diligently working to answer calls for help while continuing to struggle to maintain operations.聽
水果派AV recently checked in with聽Four Town First Aid Squad in Moravia,聽Southern Cayuga Instant Aid,聽Fleming Fire Department No. 1 and others to see how things are going a little more than year after American Medical Response ceased operations in the county at the end of 2023.
The short answer? Not great.
No calls are going unanswered, but the same struggles that led AMR to leave are still here.
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Rural areas have always depended on EMS volunteers, but it has become more and more difficult over the years to find people willing to commit to the job. Compensation from Medicaid and other sources doesn't come nearly close enough to cover costs, so departments can't afford to pay competitive wages to emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Replacement ambulances cost more than a quarter-million dollars.
A notable exception to the ongoing struggles elsewhere in the county is, not surprisingly, Auburn City Ambulance. The agency is largely supported by tax dollars, and is currently operating on a budget of $3.3 million. It runs six ambulances, and its staff of聽51 includes dozens of advanced emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
The agency struggled to find its financial footing after launching in 2021. But its director of operations, Kezia Sullivan, recently reported to City Council that revenue for the current fiscal year is expected to hit $3.8 million, which would put it in the black.
As for more rural areas of the county, there are no easy solutions for keeping EMS providers afloat. An increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates would help. A proposed state law to make EMS an essential service would also go a long way, Southern Cayuga Instant Aid Executive Director聽Jackie Dickinson told 水果派AV, but only if that designation comes with a guaranteed funding stream.
Despite the many obstacles, volunteers continue to spend time away from home undergoing training and responding to calls into the far reaches of our area, and county, city and town EMS officials are continuing to collaborate in an effort to provide the best possible service to the public.
We applaud the effort, and urge our state representatives to press for increased funding to keep this important service sustainable for the future.
Providers of emergency medical services in Cayuga County had to step up when American Medical Response pulled out of the area at the end of 2023.
