Lawmakers say it’s time to study rural ambulance access, as a growing shortage of volunteer forces plagues those communities.
Some lawmakers are calling for a task force to study rural ambulance service in rural parts of the state. The goal is to create solutions and identify funding opportunities to fix the problem.
The bill was given final approval on Wednesday and now heads to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk for his consideration.
“The reality is, many ambulance services here in upstate New York have been operating short-staffed for years, and those challenges have only increased during the pandemic,” Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a sponsor of the bill told Spectrum News. “As emergency medical services in rural communities buckle under financial strain and difficult circumstances, our families are the ones that pay the price.”
Reimbursement structures would be a primary focus of the group, according to lawmakers.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].