By Timia Cobb
syracuse.com
CLEVELAND, N.Y. — A volunteer Oswego County ambulance service operating since 1949 has called it quits due to financial difficulties of running the non-profit service, officials said.
The North Shore Ambulance Service announced Thursday it was stopping service in a Facebook post by its president and chief executive officer Avery Dennis.
North Shore, based in Cleveland, services people in the towns of Constantia and Vienna and the village of Cleveland.
“This decision has not been made lightly, and it comes after exhaustive efforts to navigate the numerous challenges facing not-for-profit rural ambulance services,” Dennis said.
North Shore Ambulance has struggled with declining or stagnant reimbursement rates, direct-to-patient insurance payments without remittance, increased operational costs, increased payroll expenses and insufficient funding, they said.
The ambulance has been operating at a loss for at least the past two years, according to the group’s 990 forms. In 2022, they had an operating loss of $47,000 and that increased to a loss of $162,000 in 2023.
North Shore is working with neighboring agencies and local authorities to find coverage for the areas the ambulance serves, Dennis said.
“Despite our best efforts to secure additional resources and support and attempts to venture into new markets to increase revenue, these challenges have ultimately made it unsustainable to continue our operations,” Dennis said.
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