Cash-strapped Port corps seeks aid

[firefighter0727 1]

The Port Jervis Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been losing more than $100,000 a year for four years and can no longer survive without city financial support, corps operations manager Sean Aumick told the Port Jervis Common Council this week.

The corps receives reimbursement for only about 38 percent of its services, Aumick said, while annual costs run over $600,000.

At Monday's Common Council meeting, he suggested that Port Jervis and Deerpark contribute $130,000 a year to the ambulance corps, with 60 percent coming from Port Jervis and 40 percent from Deerpark,

He said the costs of training, fuel, equipment and ambulances have increased, and growing certification requirements have led to more hours of training.

Private ambulance services have worked in Port Jervis for a year or two and then left, finding no money to be made in a population with so many low-income people lacking health insurance, Aumick said.

Fourth Ward Councilman Stanley Siegel said later that contributing $85,000 would raise city taxes by 2 percent.

"The problem is demographic," he said. "In the second and fourth wards, people have no health insurance, no doctor and no car. They may call ambulances for a bloody nose, broken arm or internal bleeding."

More information needed

Mayor Kelly Decker said that before the city could consider providing financial help, the ambulance corps must first provide detailed information about its financial situation, especially since the city is already "hundreds of thousands of dollars in the red," and additional costs would raise taxes.

Instead, he suggests relying more on Bon Secours Community Hospital.

"Port Jervis Volunteer Ambulance needs to weigh the need for the costly advanced life support over basic life support," he said.

Lesser training suggested

Basic life support requires only 150 hours of training, while ALS requires 1,400 hours of training, but enables more life-saving procedures. Decker questioned whether ALS is needed when Bon Secours Hospital is so close.

"As the response time in Port Jervis is only minutes, the turnaround to the hospital is only minutes, too," Decker said.

"ALS is definitely the bells and whistles to ambulatory care, but is it necessary so near a hospital?"

The paid services left once port became ALS because the need was no longer there...

Edited by firefighter0727, 2 minutes ago.

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An $85K contribution would raise their taxes by 2% ?

They lost more than $400K over the last four years ? They must have had a hell of savings account to work from.

[firefighter0727 1]

They must have one hell of a savings account ? Makes u wonder