Tribune-Review
LIGONIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Officials in the Ligonier Township area are concerned about the future of ambulance service as Excela Health considers handing over the operation to another organization.
Ligonier officials have discussed that potential transfer of Ligonier Valley Ambulance Service with an Excela representative and are hoping to meet again to continue the dialogue, township manager Terry Carcella said. He said the main concern is that Ligonier Valley’s existing level of service remain intact, including two ambulance units equipped for advanced life support being stationed locally.
“Most folks want to make sure we have two ambulances here, not one,” Carcella said.
It also would be ideal if the service’s staff remained in place, said John Beaufort, the township’s emergency management coordinator.
“Most of the paramedics in town are very familiar with Ligonier,” he said. “Some of them grew up here.”
If another provider runs Ligonier Valley, “the level of service would be expected to be maintained” and “emergency response will remain readily available when, and if, it’s needed,” Excela Health spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.
“We are also seeking input from community leaders regarding the best way to deliver (emergency medical service), not only in the Ligonier Valley, but across the county,” she said.
Ligonier Borough officials also have had discussions with Excela and were assured that “Ligonier will not be without ambulance service,” council President Jim McDonnell said.
Greensburg-based Mutual Aid Ambulance Service was mentioned among services being considered for assuming operation of the Ligonier Valley station, Carcella said.
“It makes the most sense,” he said, noting Mutual Aid’s service territory “is everywhere around us, and they do come into the community for backup.”
Jennings declined to comment on that report. Mutual Aid representatives could not be reached for comment.
Jennings indicated discussions with another provider have not touched on the specifics of equipment currently at the Ligonier Valley station, which opened in 2011 along Route 711 north.
Since the Ligonier Valley service first formed nearly 50 years ago, “health care has changed greatly,” Jennings said. “Undeniably, ambulance services are an indispensable part of the continuum of care. But they are best operated independently of hospitals, allowing each to concentrate on what they do best for the communities they mutually serve.”
There is no time frame for making a decision about the ambulance service, Jennings said.
She noted that ambulance operations are expensive to run, that member subscriptions “don’t even begin to cover the cost” and that insurance company reimbursements for ambulance transports also fall short of actual costs.
Beaufort said township police and volunteer fire departments have a good working relationship with the Ligonier Valley Ambulance Service. He said the ambulance crews respond to major incidents such as vehicle accidents and structure fires, and the township responders assist the emergency medical staff with such incidents as physical rescues.
But he expressed concern that, if the ambulance service comes under new management, township responders might be called to assist with more routine medical calls. “Some of these other ambulance services do that,” he said. “We can’t afford to double our calls for the ambulance company.”
The Ligonier Valley Association of Churches recently sent a letter to the two municipalities and to local newspapers expressing concern about plans for the ambulance service and supporting the service’s existing employees.
Association President Janet Riordan and member Rita Horrell noted the church group helped raise money to buy a vehicle for the local ambulance service.
Founded through a gift from the R.K. Mellon Foundation, Ligonier Valley Ambulance Service has been in operation since 1967. Its service territory includes Ligonier and Laurel Mountain boroughs, Ligonier Township and part of Fairfield Township.
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