sympathomedic

    I have to say I am saddened by the content of this thread.  Both my parents died in 2014, and both spent time in an Atria in Westchester- they did not die there, but both were moved by EMS during their stays.
It might seems obvious, but the thread makes me want to point out:  These facilities DO NOT MANUFACTURE OLD PEOPLE. These pt's are going to get old and frail no matter where they live. I would rather have a safe, carpeted monitored building with AN ELEVATOR, rather than dozens of folks in dozens of private homes, UNmonitored, UNreliebly medicated, falling and being on the floor for hours before being noticed.
    I ma pretty sure there is no age range excluded by your EMT class. There is no guarantee of exciting calls. I BET if we issued guns to the facility staff and told them to shoot anyone that falls, so every call came in as a gunshot, there would be no problem covering, and no complaining about it (well, other than pt's and families).
   As per an article in the NY Times a few years back, nationwide EMS call volume is up 247% in last 30 years.  More since then I bet.
  I have NEVER seen an EKG tech complain that a patient that needed an EKG was not sick enough for them. Never seen a RESPIRATORY therapist  complain that the lungs were not wheezy enough for them to give a treatment. Never had a PHLEBOTOMIST say that they were wasting time on drawing blood on a particular pt. It is ONLY the EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECH who feels that they are only there to serve pt's they feel are worthy.
    I am sorry, but things don't stay the same. The job is changing. The pt population is changing. Safer cars with airbags = fewer sexy trauma calls. Meds = a HUGE decrease in V-fib arrests.   Those same meds = a larger elderly population that just want to grow old in safety and comfort. Be nice, be professional: your job is to provide that.
  Or as one of my favorite movie lines, from Ghostbusters goes, " I am sure a person with your skills and qualifications would have not trouble finding  work in either the food service or housekeeping in industries."
sorry for the ad-
 

    I have to say I am saddened by the content of this thread.  Both my parents died in 2014, and both spent time in an Atria in Westchester- they did not die there, but both were moved by EMS during their stays.
It might seems obvious, but the thread makes me want to point out:  These facilities DO NOT MANUFACTURE OLD PEOPLE. These pt's are going to get old and frail no matter where they live. I would rather have a safe, carpeted monitored building with AN ELEVATOR, rather than dozens of folks in dozens of private homes, UNmonitored, UNreliebly medicated, falling and being on the floor for hours before being noticed.
    I ma pretty sure there is no age range excluded by your EMT class. There is no guarantee of exciting calls. I BET if we issued guns to the facility staff and told them to shoot anyone that falls, so every call came in as a gunshot, there would be no problem covering, and no complaining about it (well, other than pt's and families).
   As per an article in the NY Times a few years back, nationwide EMS call volume is up 247% in last 30 years.  More since then I bet.
  I have NEVER seen an EKG tech complain that a patient that needed an EKG was not sick enough for them. Never seen a RESPIRATORY therapist  complain that the lungs were not wheezy enough for them to give a treatment. Never had a PHLEBOTOMIST say that they were wasting time on drawing blood on a particular pt. It is ONLY the EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECH who feels that they are only there to serve pt's they feel are worthy.
    I am sorry, but things don't stay the same. The job is changing. The pt population is changing. Safer cars with airbags = fewer sexy trauma calls. Meds = a HUGE decrease in V-fib arrests.   Those same meds = a larger elderly population that just want to grow old in safety and comfort. Be nice, be professional: your job is to provide that.
  Or as one of my favorite movie lines, from Ghostbusters goes, " I am sure a person with your skills and qualifications would have not trouble finding  work in either the food service or housekeeping in industries."
sorry for the ad-
 

     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.
 

    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
 

    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
 

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.

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.

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.

I have heard alternately that we have ordered either 7 or 10 new ambulances.
I count us running 6 flycars now:
2 Yonkers
1 Yorktown
1 Pelham
1 White Plains
1 supervisor
So a new spare or two might be needed. 
Note: Pelham owns the Pelham truck, but Empress sends a company spare when it goes out for service.

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

When we tried to get a line of duty death coverage benefit at Empress (4+years ago) we were told that no one makes such a product. Apparently there is/was no demand from private sector companies for line of duty death benefits for their employees. It makes sense; most of the jobs we consider dangerous are done by government employees. Despite EMS having a LODD rate comparable to the fire service, the demand for this kind of insurance does not exist.   I will say that I personally did not research it.
    In a conversation with management I said that I have no issue with this type of work if we are trained, equipped and insured.  I MUST be 100% confident that my widow and kids will not be evicted if I am killed doing it.
 
We settled for $50,000 life insurance on all employees, no matter how they die. Even deaths by boredom from reading EMT Bravo posts are covered.

I have heard alternately that we have ordered either 7 or 10 new ambulances.
I count us running 6 flycars now:
2 Yonkers
1 Yorktown
1 Pelham
1 White Plains
1 supervisor
So a new spare or two might be needed. 
Note: Pelham owns the Pelham truck, but Empress sends a company spare when it goes out for service.

I have heard alternately that we have ordered either 7 or 10 new ambulances.
I count us running 6 flycars now:
2 Yonkers
1 Yorktown
1 Pelham
1 White Plains
1 supervisor
So a new spare or two might be needed. 
Note: Pelham owns the Pelham truck, but Empress sends a company spare when it goes out for service.

The night tour at the ED is supposed to have 9 nurses.  It is not uncommon for that level to dip to FOUR on some nights.
Proper staffing will help more than additional space. Staff what you have. I guess that last statement applies to ALL of our own agencies!
 
An expansion like this does not come without a lot of financial planning. Am-surge must have better reimbursement than the ED.

The night tour at the ED is supposed to have 9 nurses.  It is not uncommon for that level to dip to FOUR on some nights.
Proper staffing will help more than additional space. Staff what you have. I guess that last statement applies to ALL of our own agencies!
 
An expansion like this does not come without a lot of financial planning. Am-surge must have better reimbursement than the ED.

As your preceptor, I want all my time back!

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

As your preceptor, I want all my time back!

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

     No one should be out of a job. Simple math is that the number of calls has not gone down, just the number of companies  answering those calls has gone down; by ONE.
     The staff will  need to shift to other providers that are expanding into the Transcare void. Sadly though, many will lose  vacation pay, salary, seniority, schedule and partners. ALL of which is very sad. A forced job change is always traumatic.
    Company names no longer in the picture:
Abbey-Richmond, A1, AA, Approved, Ambassador, Empire, Care 1, Park, Admiral, Metropolitan, Metro-North. Hudson Valley, Transcare, National... any others? Still lots of open jobs and hiring despite all those companies going away.
 

Empress staff. IAEP Local 20.

As your preceptor, I want all my time back!

As your preceptor, I want all my time back!