Putnam's New Ambulance Service Will Raise Local Costs

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — Putnam County will start 2022 with a new ambulance service that will cost local taxpayers more money and raise patients' fees.

"My budget is going to take a tremendous hit," Robert Kearns, EMS administrator for the town of Patterson, told the county Legislator's Protective Services Committee last week.

The company, Ambulnz, will replace Empress EMS/EMStar, whose contract with the county expires Dec. 31. Ambulnz, which has changed its name to DocGo, operates in 26 states and the UK.

Southeast Town Supervisor Tony Hay told Patch he thought the deal was "screwy" but could not give details as he had only learned about it last week.

Last week the Protective Services Committee met with members of the administration and a packed audience about the contract which Ambulnz had just signed. Listen to the discussion here.

Emergency Services Commissioner Ken Clair said the request for proposals covered a higher level of service, but the competing bids from Empress and Ambulnz came in at triple the budgeted amount, and the county countered by paring back its request.

The 5-year deal they worked out is at the same cost to the county in 2022 as this year, about $1.45 million, he said.

Ambulnz is expecting to pick up an additional $500,000 or so through higher fees charged back to local ambulance corps/fire departments/towns plus an assessment fee for calls, that the local agencies will have to cover then try to get back from the patients and insurers.

The new service also adds a fifth medic and a 24-hour supervisor instead of one split between Putnam and Dutchess, Clair said.

Kearns and others told the lawmakers that the deal is being made on the backs of Putnam residents, local ambulance corps/ fire departments and towns — at the last minute, because their budgets have been set for months.

"It'll literally bankrupt the ambulance corps," one person said at the meeting. "How is that OK?"

County officials explained that the county would sign the contract with the vendor but ensuing fee schedules are between the company and the towns or ambulance corps or fire departments and are not the county's responsibility.

Clair said the company would be meeting with local town or fire department emergency management officials, but people at the meeting complained that Ambulnz has canceled scheduled meetings.

Ambulance corps members at the meeting brought up many concerns with the new plan. One of those had to do with personnel. With 15 days to go before the contract starts, Ambulnz has 34 personnel on staff, but those coming in from California have not yet been certified. Empress has 70 employees covering Putnam County now; most did not take the new service's offer of pay and benefits.