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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Ambulances: Advanced Life Support will continue in Allegany County, beyond

It's being described tonight as a victory for ambulance services and residents in Allegany County and throughout New York State.

The New York State Emergency Medical Services Council (SEMSCO) voted today to allow current critical care providers to stay at that level, mostly. Last fall, the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician- Critical Care (AEMT-CC) level of care was under threat of immediate termination. Most said, that would have eliminated any higher level of medical care in the county since most advanced providers were critical care technicians. The push was on to move volunteers to the paramedic level, but locally, the cost, time and out-of-county travel was prohibitive.
The state today, did an about face.
Three providers from Allegany County were in Albany this week to put the pressure on. Making the trip: Jeff Luckey, Allegany County Emergency Manager; Dan Marsh, owner of Medical Transport/Medic 700; Scott Lanphier, President, Allegany County Emergency Medical Services Council. Marsh called today's action a "huge victory," noting it was "an even better outcome than we hoped for."
Here is the compromise that was reached Wednesday-
  1. Understanding that the critical care technician curriculum is 20 years old and not sustainable, no new courses will be offered after this year.
  2. In Allegany County, there will be one more critical care class this year.
  3. Moving forward, after January 1, 2018, currently certified AEMT-CC's with three years experience will be able to recertify via local continuing medical education.
  4. One more classroom refresher AEMT-CC class will be offered with 18 months after Jan. 1, 2018.
  5. New York State, for the next ten years, will offer current critical care technicians a bridge course to upgrade to the paramedic level via an online course (no out of area travel).
Marsh said this evening that "we won't lose a single critical care technician, in fact we'll gain, plus paramedics.
Lanphier said the Western Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee (WREMC), once a foe, delivered strong support for the plan this week in Albany. "They listened to our concerns," Lanphier said. The WREMAC is a group of doctors from all eight counties in Western New York that establish ambulance protocols.

Steven Kroll is the Chair of the State EMS Council. He said today that "we value the critical care techs in our system, but at the same time, encourage them to make the jump to the paramedic level.
Both Marsh and Lanphier said, while driving back from Albany, that several partners came together to make this compromise happen. They said State Senator Cathy Young was instrumental. Further, elected officials at the local and county level offered support. Equally important, the men said, were the letters of support from local residents and area ambulance services. They said "everybody pitched in."
In summary: While no new critical care classes will be offered after this year, those who are currently certified can continue to practice. The state has made it substantially easier for volunteers to upgrade to the paramedic level (the most advanced level) though a simple online bridge course.
Today's action represents the power of Allegany County