Without more funding, Potter County residents will lose some important services.
The board of directors for Coudersport Volunteer Ambulance Association and Medic 7 said if they don’t receive more support — and soon — the non-profit will be forced to close.
If that happens, all of Potter County will lose Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, and Coudersport Borough and several nearby townships will lose Basic Life Support (BLS) services.
The association is currently seeking an annual funding commitment from Potter County and the municipalities that receive service. The need is urgent, with the board saying it may have to close within a couple of weeks if nothing changes.
Michele Mather, president of the ambulance service board, explained that the agency has been struggling since 2004, when Charles Cole Memorial Hospital disbanded the ambulance program. At that time, Coudersport took on the ALS coverage for all of Potter County.
Mather talked about some of the factors that have made the struggle harder.
The cost of equipment and medications “has skyrocketed.” At the same time, “Insurance payments have gone down,” she said.
Adding to the problem has been a lack of volunteerism, according to Mather. The department now has paid EMTs on staff, though there are still some volunteers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused additional hardships. And while the ambulance did receive COVID-19 support, it was for supplies; it was not money that could be used to operate the service.
Mather took over as president this past fall. “At that time it was pretty bad,” she said. “We’ve inched it through the winter; now we’re broke.”
She invited anyone who has concerns about CVAA’s spending to come look at the ambulance service’s finances, explaining there is no extra money to be wasteful.
“We’re an open book,” she said.
Mather is hopeful the local communities will work with the association to keep it open.
“None of us want to see this end,” she said.
The CVAA has not been without its supporters.
Mather said Coudersport borough and a couple of townships already do support the Coudersport Ambulance, but they are asking for Potter County and other townships to follow suit.
“God bless the people of Potter County. They’re struggling” — yet still sending the ambulance service checks for any amount they can afford, she added.
CVAA has received support from UPMC Cole, and the regional and state offices have helped as far as connecting the ambulance service representatives with whom to speak to about the issue.
Since they made the announcement, people seem to be listening.
“A lot has happened as far as people getting in touch with us. The commissioners are listening,” said Mather, who added she is hopeful the townships are considering the problem, too.
She said the commissioners are talking about the problem now, and the association is waiting to hear back from Commissioner Barry Hayman.
Mather explained, “I don’t think it hit home to (the commissioners) until we said we’re closing our doors and filing for bankruptcy.”
She said the county commissioners are currently working to schedule a session with the local municipalities so everyone can discuss the problem at one time rather than the ambulance representatives trying to attend all the township meetings.
“We’ll see what we can do to make EMS viable in this area,” she said.
Mather is hopeful that community members who want to support CVAA to talk to public officials.
“It’s going to take the public to put pressure on the supervisors and commissioners,” she explained.
She encourages residents to attend township, borough and commissioners meetings, write letters or make phone calls to make sure officials know what they want.
“We’ve made our voice heard, but we need support,” Mather said.
According to Mather, she wants this cause to be something that brings people together to fix a problem that affects everybody.
“We want this to be a positive thing. There’s always critics. We want this to be the beginning of everybody getting what they need in Potter County as far as ALS and BLS services.”
It is not just Coudersport Volunteer Ambulance Association that is struggling financially; ambulance services all over are having staffing and money problems, she said.
Mather is hopeful that by discussing the financial struggles of CVAA, it will shed light on the struggles that all are facing.
