Harrison EMS Issues

[Gomer 25]

From Facebook:

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To all that live and work in The Town of Harrison please read the letter posted and pay attention to what is happening to the Harrison EMS service and get involved.

I was a proud founding Board Member of the Harrison Volunteer Ambulance Corps and worked extremelly hard for over 10 years to make it the Best EMS service around. We have one of the best in the State and we need to stand with and support Chief Joe Bilotto and his staff to ensure that all in Harrison will continue to receive their excellant service. Please read the letter!

so the original post that was shared was reported and removed from FB. looks like we've rattled some people. please Copy and Paste the message below to your own feeds to keep the message out there! thank you all!

 

Threat to replace Harrison EMS with Empress?!

FYI To all my friends and neighbors here in Harrison. Below is an unanswered email I sent to Mayor Ron Belmont and Town Council Members regarding rumors that they are threatening to replace Harrison EMS with Empress. Below are some of the details. Right now this is all rumors, but the Mayor and the Town Council members have refused to speak to HEMS Chief, attorney or Board Members. In January the Town refused to pay Harrison EMS until we showed them our financials (they have no right to look at our financial, HEMS is private not-for-profit org not a town entity). Even after looking through our financials and finding NO wrong doing the rumor is they are demanding Chief Bilotto and Lt Mercado resign. Share this with everyone you know, tag Harrison residents, and help us get some answers. Email Mayor Belmont and the Town Council and demand answers.

rbelmont@harrison-ny.gov, fsciliano@harrison-ny.gov, smalfitano@harrison-ny.gov, mamelio@harrison-ny.gov, jstout@harrison-ny.gov.

Dear Mr. Roth, Mr Mayor and Council members.

My name is David Palombo I am a life long resident of Harrison and have been a member of Harrison EMS for nearly 10 years. I'm writing to you today in regards to a troubling email that has been sent to select members of Harrison EMS by a HEMS employee, David Aprea. In it, Mr. Aprea has put disturbing words into the mouths of Harrison's Mayor, Town Council and Town Atty as well as our own Chief Bilotto. His email claims that: "Chief Bilotto and Lt mercado have been asked to resign and refuse to do so. The Chiefs attitude is " If I go down we all go down " the town has made it crystal clear from the town council ,to the Mayor, to the town attorney, there are only 2 non-negotiable options available. New management at HEMS or they go with Empress Ambulance. Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado must resign immediately, Empress has stated they can be here in a few hours, Empress has submitted a quote which the town can accept at any time." The full email I'm referring to is copied below. Of course I am concerned about the content and accuracy of these unverified claims.
If the threat of 'New management at HEMS or they go with Empress Ambulance' is true, my first concern is the most troubling. As a lifelong, tax-paying and voting resident of Harrison I am deeply concerned, if the threat is true, in the ability of an already overwhelmed, for-profit company like Empress to cover Harrison's call volume in a timely manor. Anyone who is familiar with EMS in Westchester is aware that after the TransCare implosion; Empress has be critically overtaxed trying to cover their call volume in White Plains, Yonkers, Mount Vernon and their other existing contracts. It is early March and Harrison EMS has already responded well over 500 911 calls in town with an average response time of 5-7 minutes. The idea to dismiss Harrison EMS and use Empress (or any other critically stressed agency) is either an empty threat or a disastrous scheme by certain Town Council members to push out Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado for their own personal agendas, at the cost of Harrison resident's safety. Is the threat true or is Mr. Aprea lying? Will the Mayor and Town Council replace Harrison EMS with Empress if Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado do not resign? Is the Mayor and Town Council willing to fire more than 50 HEMS employees and put Harrison residents at risk just to remove two officers? If so, WHY? Clearly doing so is NOT in the best interest of Harrison and as a residents we all deserve to know the answers.
My second concern is, as a 10 year member of HEMS I am troubled that one or two disgruntled employees may be impacting the livelihoods of dozens of hard working EMT and Paramedics for his/her own personal vendetta. In his email Mr. Aprea gives the impression of terrible working conditions and 'injustices' at HEMS that simply don't exist. Around a year ago, Mr. Aprea, who sent the email, was working in Harrison as an EMT-Basic. He applied for and, after a probationary evaluation period, was refused the position of Paramedic in Harrison. Since that time he has been bad mouthing Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado often and to anyone who will listen. I do not know the details as to why he didn't make the cut as a Paramedic in Harrison. I do know that dozens of other medics have made it through the selection process and routinely provide Harrison residents with exemplary emergency medical care. At the end of last year a member of the Town Council received 'an insider's information' and Chief Bilotto was under suspicion of misappropriating HEMS funds. As a result the Mayor and Town Council demanded to review several years of HEMS's financial statements. There was no evidence found of misappropriation, wrongdoing or misconduct. If there was any evidence there would be no need to demand anyone's resignation; anyone involved would have been fired on the spot and charged accordingly. At what point does the Mayor and Town Council scrutinize the source of their misinformation.
Finally I would like to take a moment to speak on behalf of our current management, Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado. As with every organization there is room for improvement, however there have been no prior incidents or actions where either of their personal integrity, or professionalism has been questioned. It was Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado, who restored order and integrity to HEMS in 1998 when disgraced former Chief Parsons was forced to leave. Since then, it has been our current management who demands excellence and professionalism from each and every one of our members. Under the direction of Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado for the past 8 years HEMS has been thriving. Last year was especially difficult for our entire agency with the heartbreaking murder of our beloved Explorer Alissa Hochman and her sister Deanna. I credit the exemplary leadership of Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado for getting us through the tragedy as a family. I have proudly worn my Harrison EMS uniform and served the community I grew up in for nearly 10 years. I now stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters of Harrison EMS to stand with our Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado.
I eagerly await your replies.

Sincerely,
David M. Palombo

 

> From: David Aprea
> Date: March 7, 2016 at 7:54:32 PM EST
> To: David Aprea , Rob
> Cc: AdamsLorris@gmail.com, Rob , nikki.deshensky@hotmail.com, mdawson1880@yahoo.com, bxems1@gmail.com, wolflawton@aol.com, esposito77@optonline.net, Veef31@aim.com, GrandeEMT@gmail.com, klynch9489@gmail.com, brian@networx.tv, andrew.mcguire41@gmail.com, ublove@aol.com, michellenarciso@mac.com, medicmittens@hotmail.com, spmedic1@aol.com, emy312@yahoo.com, emt8837@optonline.net
> Subject: The time is now, its do or we ARE GONE !!
> Reply-To: David Aprea
>
HVAC Family , as you all know, Chief Bilotto and Lt mercado have been asked to resign and refuse to do so. The Chiefs attitude is " If I go down we all go down " the town has made it crystal clear from the town council ,to the Mayor, to the town attorney, there are only 2 non-negotiable options available. New management at HEMS or they go with Empress Ambulance. Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado must resign immediately, Empress has stated they can be here in a few hours, Empress has submitted a quote which the town can accept at any time. Rob and I are asking you to email Warren Roth at warren.roth@me.com He is HVAC's attorney and in control of the board. Express, how bad things are at HVAC, the injustices that have been done to most of us over the years and to vote Chief Bilotto and Lt. Mercado out of their positions to save our agency. Mr. Roth and the EMS board have our fate in there hands. Since the chief has been asked to resign he has made threats and slandered HEMS employees, including Rob and myself. This deeply effects all of us and the pride we have for HEMS. We ask you to do this ASAP and please cc rob and I , as 1 unified team we can keep our agency and move forward. The next EMS board meeting is scheduled for Monday 03/14/16 and will be an important meeting regarding this matter.

Thank you in advance
Sincerely,
Sincerely,

David Aprea
CEO/Owner
Top Line Communications, Inc.

 

 

[EMSLt 27]

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In January the Town refused to pay Harrison EMS until we showed them our financials (they have no right to look at our financial, HEMS is private not-for-profit org not a town entity).

The town gives HEMS money, they have a right to look at the financials, especially one providing  a critical service to the town. If you accept money from the Town, then that's how it goes. If HEMS is confident in their finances, then there shouldn't be an issue right? You understand how that looks? I'm not trying to defend anyone or their actions, just trying to look at this objectively.
 

Quote

Empress has stated they can be here in a few hours, Empress has submitted a quote which the town can accept at any time.

 

That's not how it works. The town would have to issue an RFP, Empress couldn't and wouldn't just give a "quote", and they haven't given Harrison anything.

 

And, if anyone remembers, Empress brought ALS to the Town Of Harrison and was the ALS provider for years.

[N1Medic 69]

Drama in Harrison EMS is nothing new. From 1997:

 

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Last winter, some residents were perturbed by what appeared to be the abrupt dismissal of the ambulance corps Empress, which had served United Hospital in Port Chester. A replacement was provided under contract with Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in the Bronx. Mr. Marraccini is a board member at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center.

Patrick Vetere, the only Democrat on the Harrison Town Council, serves as the Council's liaison to the town's Ambulance Board, which is a nonvoting position that he has held for the last four years. For the last year, however, Mr. Vetere said that he has not been notified of any Ambulance Board meetings. ''I used to get agendas and notices about meetings, and now I don't get them,'' he said. ''I'm not invited.'' Philip Marraccini does not have a vote on the Ambulance Board.

 

Mr. Marraccini said the switch in ambulance service was driven by his sense of fiscal obligation to the town.

''I'd been talking to St. Agnes and United Hospital for a few years, and neither hospital had an interest,'' he said. ''Our Lady of Mercy came in and said that for no charge they would provide whatever training and inoculations our personnel needed. Everything functions the same for the patient.

 

''The only thing that changes is who drives the ambulance. Anytime we can save $111,000 we will. It was the best deal for the taxpayers. I don't know who can argue with this.''

 

Raymond Marinaccio, vice president of operations at St. Agnes Hospital in White Plains, explained how Our Lady of Mercy would benefit from its presence in Harrison. ''This gives us visibility and presence in the town of Harrison,'' he said. ''It's a way of marketing ourselves to gain an added share for St. Agnes Hospital from the emergency room and other activities.'' Although St. Agnes received some emergency admissions when Empress had the contract, a larger portion went to United Hospital in Port Chester and White Plains Hospital.

Dr. Robert Leviton, chairman of emergency medicine at United Hospital in Port Chester, said the town's abrupt action was unexpected. ''I said I wanted to come to the Ambulance Board to make a presentation, but they went ahead without my coming down,'' he said. ''They voted to give the contract to Our Lady of Mercy. Our Lady of Mercy doesn't have an operating certificate to run an ambulance in Westchester. I'm uncomfortable with a hospital from the Bronx coming in. We're not in politics. We're in the business of taking care of sick people.''

 

Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center and St. Agnes Hospital are both part of Our Lady of Mercy Health Care Systems. ''It's true that Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center does not have a license to run ambulances in Westchester,'' Mr. Marinaccio said. But he cited the hospital's decadelong affiliation with the emergency 911 system in New York City. ''We're fully in compliance with state regulations,'' he said. ''We're acting as the administering agent for the town of Harrison. We subcontract with an ambulance company, Abbey Richmond, that does have certification in Westchester.''

 

 

[sympathomedic 383]

That increased visibility worked great:  St Agnes is closed and the bld is now an assisted living facility.  Our Lady of Mercy was bought out by Monte and it ambulance department was closed.

[Dinosaur 844]

So is anyone aware of any truth to this?  Besides a Facebook rant and copied email from a HEMS insider, have there been any news reports, statements from the town or anything that suggests this is accurate?

It's the town's prerogative to contact for services within their borders so the notion that they don't have any right to review HEMS financial statements or discuss service(s) provided is nuts.  They provided $550,000 to the "VAC" this year so it's clear the town has a stake in it. 

 

Edited March 20, 2016 by Dinosaur

[velcroMedic1987 330]

So the town is actually investigating options for EMS.  They should be commended for that!  Most towns rely on the provider, whether VAC, VFD, commercial, mixed, or whatever, and provide no insight or guidance whatsoever.  Let's face it, any municipal service should have oversight, even EMS.

 

[CaptainCharisma 34]

Isn't Harrison one of the better EMS systems in the area? Why is the Town of Harrison always embroiled in some sort of political scandal?

[SOUSGT 357]

5 hours ago, CaptainCharisma said:

Isn't Harrison one of the better EMS systems in the area? Why is the Town of Harrison always embroiled in some sort of political scandal?

Because that is what government does ! It never does what's best for its citizens.

[Flashpoint 94]

I've heard some things which I hope are just rumors. One of which is that there are some people thinking that Harrison could just tack themselves onto the White Plains contract, or Port Chester EMS could expand. But I see no reason for either since I don't think this is real.

[Bnechis 3,961]

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HARRISON - Harrison Emergency Medical Services is planning to suspend operations Sunday night because the town has yet to fund the ambulance service, a board member said Thursday.

 

"We will no longer be able to respond to any emergency calls, effective 11 p.m. Sunday," said Robert Frankel, a member of the EMS Board of Directors. "We won't have the money to pay people or maintain our equipment."

Town Attorney Frank Allegretti confirmed that the town has not released $137,500 in funds to the EMS, which he said has historically received payments at the end of each quarter.

 

"Quite frankly, there are concerns about mismanagement of the EMS that we're looking into," he said.

Harrison Supervisor Ron Belmont said that "residents will be protected" if the EMS does stop answering emergency calls, and the town is looking into options on how emergency calls will be handled if service is suspended.

 

 

MORE:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/harrison/2016/03/31/lacking-funds-harrison-ems-suspend-service/82480952/

 

 

[FFEMT84 2]

How can an agency just say we are     suspending service with no back up in place ? It sounds illegal to me 

[Bnechis 3,961]

7 hours ago, FFEMT84 said:

How can an agency just say we are     suspending service with no back up in place ? It sounds illegal to me 

Tell that to Transcare

[vtach39680 23]

9 hours ago, FFEMT84 said:

How can an agency just say we are     suspending service with no back up in place ? It sounds illegal to me 

 

Sadly there is nothing in the NYS general municipal law that requires Emergency Medical Services.  to persons in NYS  for EMS to come out from behind the shroud of being the bastard 3rd service this is one of the first items that needs to be changed.    

[velcroMedic1987 330]

9 hours ago, FFEMT84 said:

How can an agency just say we are     suspending service with no back up in place ? It sounds illegal to me 

 

 

Illegal?  What law is being broken? 

Can you describe what conduct is illegal if they do go through with this?

 

[N1Medic 69]

And 55 people will be out of jobs....

[10512 214]

"In January the Town refused to pay Harrison EMS until we showed them our financials (they have no right to look at our financial, HEMS is private not-for-profit org not a town entity)."

This quote, if true, is troubling.

I have to back the town on this.

If that is the attitude of the management of an agency that receives town money, the town can probably do better looking elsewhere.

If this statement is true, it is a signal that this is much more than a pizzing match between the town and a few EMS members.

If they are taking town money, then they are answerable to the town.

This makes it look like HEMS is hiding something.
Anyone looking at this is going to come to this conclusion.

...and, not to mention the obvious, but wasn't there a few agencies up bit up the road who are now going through some rather complicated, embarrassing and possible criminal investigations regarding questionable use of public money?

 

[Architect 24]

There is an emergency Town Board meeting tomorrow at 7AM at Town Hall to decide the next step in this matter. Any HEMS supporters should be present.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Architect

[sympathomedic 383]

    There is a NYS DOH item on the DOH BEMS site about stopping service. I think it is more about surrendering your ambulance operating certificate though, so it may not apply in this case. It does not sound like HEMS INC is surrendering the license, they just can't operate without money.

   Having recently attended a meeting where Transcare was discussed, I have learned that a licensed EMS agency MUST do ONE call per month to keep their license alive. I am not sure what happens if they don't do a call per month, but it is bad.   The Transcare bankruptcy folks have contracted with Seniorcare to do at least one call a month as Transcare  (they likely have an ambulance with two orange DOH stickers on the windshield, one for Seniorcare, one for Transcare).  SO someone are HEMS needs to set something up in the next 32 days or so, or they risk losing their ambulance license, or having to to through some DOH process to re-activate it.

    Meanwhile,  on the Empress on-line schedule system, there are now shifts posted for 2 24X7 ALS ambulances for Harrison.  Please do NOT construe that to mean there is any kind of done deal. The shifts have NOT been filled. But since they have been added to the system, then it is likely there is something in process.

   Once again I find myself offering condolences to a group of fellow EMS professionals whose stable working life has been upended by events they had no control over. It has got to be tough: time off planning, major purchases like homes and cars, life plans like weddings and college are now all askew. All the HEMS staff, please know you are in our thoughts.

Bill

 

[huzzie59 75]

Anyone can go on  charitiesnys.com and look up financials. 

 

When Empress takes over and Harrison gives them money will the town ask to see their books?

 

[sympathomedic 383]

     An authorized rep from TOH would have to answer that.  I believe that other municipalities that Empress provides service for have required a "performance bond". I truthfully am not at all sure what that is. Just a guess: some type of insurance that if the provider fails, the bond pays out an agreed upon amount of money to facilitate a replacement. Sort of like a warranty, but for a service product, as opposed to a physical one.

    Maybe someone on this thread could chip in with accurate info, as opposed to my wild guesses?

   Here is what wikipedia says:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_bond

    Failure to check  vendors books sort of lead to the situation in Mahopac with the FD losing track of $5million.

    BTW there is no word yet on a monetary agreement. It could just be for billing revenue. No true reliable info is available. 3000+ calls/year in a town with good demographics pays for a lot. I show about $800-900 thousand/year.  NOT including the $1 million/year the TOH was also paying HEMS. $1.8 million for two ALS rigs is a pretty high amount.

 

[Disaster_Guy 96]

Empress has publicly announced on their Instagram page they are taking over 911 services for Harrison starting tomorrow (Sunday) 2300 hours

Edited April 2, 2016 by Disaster_Guy

[wiscems 23]

33 minutes ago, Disaster_Guy said:

Empress has publicly announced they are taking over 911 services for Harrison starting tomorrow (Sunday) 2300 hours

 

Previous poster edited - thanks for clarification.

Edited April 2, 2016 by wiscems
Previous poster edited.

[wiscems 23]

Sources close to the situation have just stated that the suspension of service is being stayed for 30 days, Harrison EMS will continue to operate, I'm sorry I can't be more specific.

Edited April 2, 2016 by wiscems

[wiscems 23]

 

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by wiscems
URL Change

[EMSLt 27]

Why not just merge Harrison EMS and Harrison Fire? Firefighter Paramedics.

[Bnechis 3,961]

9 hours ago, EMSLt said:

Why not just merge Harrison EMS and Harrison Fire? Firefighter Paramedics.

The town of Harrison is covered by 4 Fire Districts. Which one should they be merged with? 

 

and fire districts can not bill insurance for EMS, so major increase in taxes to cover the costs.

[Gomer 25]

Any updates? Surely someone here must know what is going to happen at midnight?

[BandaidBrigade 1]

Haven't heard any news as of now...hoping this gets resolved quickly.

[x635 4,066]

Everything looks normal tonight at HEMS HQ

 

 

[x635 4,066]

From FiOS 1 News:
 

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Harrison EMS will continue services after officials agreed to give the company a partial payment amid allegations that it mismanaged the town's funds.

 

Last week, Mayor Ron Belmont said the company had not been transparent, which resulted in a lapse in payment to Harrison EMS.

The town withheld $137,000 dollars and asked for an audit of their financial records.

 

The EMS Board Chairman says the town will discuss the issue at its regularly scheduled board meeting on April 7th.

 

 

http://www.fios1news.com/lowerhudsonvalley/harrison-ems-aggreement-town#.VwIDXNH2bIV