By SAVANNAH BARR

s.barr@bradfordera.com

SMETHPORT – It was a fully packed house during the EMS Task Force’s yearly meeting, held Wednesday night at the McKean County Department of Emergency Services’ 911 Center on Route 6.

Emergency personnel from across McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter counties came together to discuss how their field has changed in the last year and how their respective departments are coping with the pressure.

‘We know the system is in a crisis — it’s actually beyond crisis,’ said state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint. ‘The work we’re doing here to try and strengthen the system is critically important for all our communities.’

In 2023 and 2024, 47 ambulance services across the state ceased operation. There is no longer an EMS service in Smethport and Bradford Area Transport Service has likewise closed its doors.

UPMC Cole hospital in Coudersport will close its labor and delivery, while services have ceased at Penn Highlands in Elk County.

‘It actually throws a lot more on our EMS services with having to transport farther away to another facility,’ said Causer, an EMT himself. ‘We are very limited in the labor and delivery services that we can actually transport to and that is causing a lot of issues.’

Causer noted that since the closures, two babies have been delivered at Ridgway Medical Center and two babies have been delivered at Bradford Regional Medical Center — neither of which has a labor and delivery department.

The string of closures leaves those EMS providers who are still standing in a bind — having to cover municipalities that are farther and farther away. By law, each municipality is required to have EMS services available, but they are not required

EMS… page A-8

Photo provided to pay for these services, explained Causer.

“The ambulance service is not a lucrative business,” said Stephanie Scrivo, McKean County 911 coordinator. “Who can run a household on EMT wages?” Each municipality contracts differently. Some are writing a check out of general finances and some have a millage dedicated to funding EMS services, explained Causer.

“Honestly, it is a separate negotiation with each different place because each one is different,” said Ellen Moser, EMT-B at Port Area Ambulance Service.

“For some it is a millage and for others it is a line item, some it is based on calls.”

One expense of EMS services is the certification required by the state.

That is a stark difference between fire and EMS services, as firefighters do not require state certification.

Another key difference is that there is no EMS commissioner in Pennsylvania, which means that EMS is the only essential public safety service with no direct access to the governor. This is one of the key solutions to creating long-term change that could benefit EMS services statewide, explained Heather Harris, executive director of the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania. She noted that there are three key factors to creating better working and financial conditions for EMS providers.

They are workforce stability, reimbursement and sustainable funding.

“These have to be addressed or EMS services will cease to exist,” said Harris.

There is also a cost of readiness versus a cost of response. EMS providers who answer a call 30 minutes away from their station do not receive mileage reimbursement until they reach their patient.

There are 2,560 municipalities in Pennsylvania and only 28 percent provide financial support for the EMS services that cover their communities.

Medicare accounts for about 60 percent of ambulance service income, but a study done in December 2024 by Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System reports that Medicare reimbursement is 23 to 69% below the cost of providing service.

“We are asking for a statewide scheduling fee of 400% of Medicare allowable and support from municipalities,” said Harris. She provided a list of states that require insurers to reimburse at that 400 percent rate.

Causer is looking into having an outside entity take a look at EMS services within the region and give recommendations on ways to improve the system.

“We are looking into finding funding for something like that,” Causer said, “as it could be very helpful.”