In a contentious public forum Tuesday night, Northstar Health Alliance proposed launching a new ambulance service to transport patients between medical facilities.
However, EMS providers in northern New York expressed concerns that the service would compete with rather than complement existing EMS operations.
The proposal, backed by Claxton-Hepburn and Carthage Area Hospitals, is currently awaiting approval from the North Country Regional EMS Council., WWNY reports.
During the hearing, Northstar officials said wait times for medical transports sometimes exceeds three hours. In one case, they said, a patient with a severe infection requiring amputation was unable to receive timely transport, ultimately leading to fatal complications.
While Northstar argued that their service would reduce wait times, opponents contended that the real issue is funding and staffing shortages, not a lack of ambulances. Madeline Bruzzo of the Carthage Area Rescue Squad voiced concerns that another ambulance service would simply siphon off essential patient transport revenue from existing EMS providers.
Watertown’s Guilfoyle Ambulance president further criticized the current system, arguing that some hospitals prioritize sending patients to distant facilities rather than exploring closer options, exacerbating EMS shortages by tying up ambulances for long-haul transports.
To support its case, Northstar presented data from August 2023 to August 2024, showing that nearly 2,000 transport calls in St. Lawrence County and 1,000 in Jefferson County went unanswered due to resource constraints.
A final decision by the North Country Regional EMS Council was not reached by the end of the meeting.
