Since 1970, Le Roy Volunteer Ambulance Service started as a 100% Volunteer Service that answered calls. Throughout the years, volunteerism has declined, which is not just unique to Le Roy Ambulance Service. Necessary measures were taken to assure that the urgent Emergency Medical Services that Le Roy has come to expect, will be provided. Thus, Le Roy Ambulance Service, Inc. (LAS) a not-for-profit 501(c) (3), began having paid staff 24/7. This had added significant costs to the budget in order to provide this service everyone deserves. Our dedicated EMS Staff see people at their worst and take pride in comforting them; putting their mind at ease as they’re cared for—calmly, efficiently and professionally. Sometimes a comforting hand and words of reassurance are all that are needed.
What do we do?
We offer 24/7 Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage to the great community of Le Roy and surrounding areas. This means when a request for service is made at anytime, a highly knowledgeable, courteous and dedicated EMS Staff will be there to answer. We take pride in ourselves to deliver the highest quality of services that can be offered.
What about the calls?
We answer an average of 1,200 calls a year or 100 a month. Here are some facts regarding our requests for service:
NFPA 1720 Response Standards (Fire Department) | National Average Ambulance Response Times (2017 Study) | |
Urban: 9 minutes | Urban: 7 minutes | |
Suburban: 10 minutes | Suburban: 7.7 minutes | |
Rural: 14 minutes | Rural: 14.5 minutes |
2017: | 5.12 min |
2018: | 4.94 min |
2019(June): | 4.75 min |
Community Outreach
Besides 911 response as our primary service, LAS offers numerous additional services to the community including:
* Standby Events | * Hands-only CPR training |
* Complimentary blood pressure checks | * Public & Healthcare Provider Ride-alongs |
* CPR & First Aid training classes | * NYS Emergency Medical Technician Training |
Details:
- In 2019, the town did not provide a subsidy.
- Most of our patients (572 or 77% in 2017) are Medicare and Medicaid recipients. Most private plans now require substantial deductibles and copays.
- 79% of our total calls are patients that are from the Town and Village of Le Roy.
- The government insurance programs (Medicaid, Medicare) severely discount (by 56.4%) the payments for emergency ambulance services.
- Unpaid patient bills add significantly to our deficit.
- We cannot refuse to provide care even if a patient neglects to pay their bill.
- Our current budget does not include a capital reserve for vehicle replacement. Assuming a trade-in, the cost of just a new ambulance is about $110,000. This does not include equipment.
What about other Agencies?
- Many of the other EMS agencies are funded by a combination of a larger base amount of donations and transports.
- The majority of other EMS agencies are larger in scale and many of those agencies have contracts with hospitals and/or nursing facilities in their operating area, which have a guaranteed/quicker payment process.
- As other EMS Agencies become bigger, the offset is larger call volume & reduced response times.
- Many other EMS Agencies use what is called ‘System Status Management’ which places ambulances at ‘Posts’ depending on variable parameters.
- EMS as a whole has been seeing dwindling numbers in the amount of Paramedic and EMT providers and those willing to do EMS as volunteering or a career.
Why is that ambulance so expensive?
- Ambulance Cost:
- Type III (Box Style) – $130,000-$163,000
- Type II (Van Style) – $80,000-$110,000
- Equipment:
- Cardiac Monitor –
- LP15 – $40,307/ea (For 3 Vehicles)
- Semi-Annual Maintenance – $4,500
- Stair chair – $2,825/ea (For 2 Ambulances)
- Power Stretcher – $13,000/ea (For 2 Ambulances)
- Medications – $1,229 /ea ALS Bag (For 3 Vehicles)
- Medical Supplies – $14,000 /ea (For 3 Vehicles)
- Cardiac Monitor –
What Training is Required?
- EMT – Average 178 hours to become certified
- AEMT – Average 208 hours to become certified
- Paramedic – 1 Year full-time college with hundreds of hours of clinical time to become certified
- Continuing Education – Every EMT or higher must complete minimum hours of continuing education for New York State Recertification
- Agency Required Education – Each agency determines their own continuous training requirements
- Region Required Education – Each region has required education that must be completed for each level of care in order to provide care in that region