REMS, Mohawk compete for contract with town Thursday, December 5, 2013 By Justin Mason (Contact) Gazette Reporter Text Size: A | A
ROTTERDAM — Rotterdam's new ambulance provider will be selected from proposals submitted by a pair of companies that are essentially offering the town the same level of service at no cost to taxpayers.
Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc., the local not-for-profit company that has historically served as the town's primary provider, has offered to keep four paramedic-staffed ambulances based in the town with at least two on call 24 hours a day. Mohawk Ambulance, the Schenectady-based for-profit company that has vied for the town's emergency medical services contract for more than a decade, is offering to base two rigs staffed with paramedics in the town 24 hours a day, with a minimum of one always ready to be dispatched.
Both companies are offering a five-year contract to provide global positioning satellite-equipped ambulances to the town without subsidy. And neither company is offering payments of any kind to the town, meaning the services pitched in the two proposals aren't substantively different.
Representatives from each ambulance company will be given 20 minutes to stump for their proposals during a special 5:30 p.m. agenda meeting at Town Hall today. Board members will then get a chance to ask questions about the proposals in advance of a meeting next week, during which the future of the town's emergency medical services will be decided.
"I couldn't guess who will be awarded this contract," town Supervisor Harry Buffardi said.
The public, however, will need to wait until next week to weigh in on the decision. Buffardi called for the agenda meeting specifically because its format doesn't include a public comment period. Buffardi said the purpose is to allow board members to gather as much information as they feel necessary before casting a vote on an emotionally charged issue.
He said the public will get a chance to comment on the proposals before the vote during the board's regular meeting Wednesday.
"We want to do this for our examination," he said of the presentations today.
Board member Robert Godlewski said both companies will have to explain how much their services will cost residents using their ambulances. Godlewski, the deputy supervisor when the town awarded the ambulance contract to REMS in 2011, said he based his support for the not-for-profit company on its lower fee structure for service.
"To me it's about what you're going to charge the users of that service when you know two-thirds of them are on Medicare," he said. "The only reason REMS got the contract two years ago was because they were cheaper to the taxpayers than Mohawk ."
REMS' proposal states patients utilizing its ambulances will save an average of $250 per call when compared to what would be billed by a for-profit company. The proposal also indicates REMS has worked out agreements with its patients that have allowed them to gradually pay off bills, sometimes at a cost of only $5 per month.
"We are committed to keeping our expenses low, passing on that savings to our patients and working with patients to meet their needs," the company states in its proposal, which includes references from the chiefs of all eight fire districts serving Rotterdam and state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara.
Securing the contract will also help preserve jobs for 50 local workers now employed by REMS and the county's mutual aid plan, the proposal states. Without an agreement to remain the town's primary ambulance provider, the company would face almost certain dissolution, meaning the loss of jobs and the elimination of rigs that now back up other area companies during times of need.
REMS' proposal also indicates its absorption of the town's recently dissolved paramedic program means it will fulfill the recommendation of a Holdsworth Pelton study in 2007. The EMS and fire department consulting firm suggested the best path for the town's ambulance service was to merge its not-for-profit ambulance company with the town-operated paramedics.
Mohawk 's pitch highlights its large, fluid fleet of 33 ambulances operating around the Capital Region, including 12 rigs equipped for paramedics. At peak times, at least 26 ambulances are in operation throughout the area, meaning some can be diverted to the town in times of need.
"These ambulances are fluid resources that are moved to meet unexpected surges in the volume of emergency medical service calls," states the proposal from Mohawk , which received references from a number of area officials, including Ellis Hospital's chief operating officer, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and Glenville town Supervisor Chris Koetzle.
Mohawk also mentions its ongoing relationship with other communities in Schenectady County. The company is the primary ambulance provider for Schenectady, Glenville, Scotia, Princetown and parts of Niskayuna.
Mohawk is also offering "strict response time compliance" and accurate monthly reporting to the town. The company indicates it is poised to purchase a property less than one mile from the town's Five Corners intersection.
Mohawk 's proposal also indicates the company will hire any qualified emergency medical technicians and paramedics from the town or REMS. In addition, the company pledged to purchase the paramedic equipment owned by the town and to provide CPR training to town workers at no cost.
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
rems IS making this more political than it already is! Angelo Santaclause showed up to show his support. They even want folks to call tonko!!! OMG!!! What will be next........call obama??
It are embarrassingly acting 'desperate' now.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services transporting few patients
Monday, December 9, 2013
By Justin Mason (Contact) Gazette Reporter
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara toured the Rotterdam EMS East station on Cardiff Road in Rotterdam on Monday. Assemblyman Santabarbara has been a longtime resident of Rotterdam and has given his support to the local ambulance service that has serviced the town for 77 years. Assemblyman Santabarbara has recently taken it upon his office to become involved in the current crisis. Here, Santabarbara with the REMS.
ROTTERDAM — Calls for Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc. have dropped to a trickle since the town abruptly stopped dispatching its ambulances last month.
The not-for-profit ambulance has answered 27 calls over 18 days, a pace that is a roughly 80 percent drop from its historical call volume. Though expected, this precipitous decline has already forced the company to essentially shutter its facility on Princetown Road and reduce its overall staffing level.
Workers with the company explained their plight to state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, as he toured the main station on Cardiff Road on Monday afternoon. The freshman legislator said he decided to visit after his offices were inundated with calls and emails from residents concerned about the future of the company, which is one of two vying for Rotterdam’s ambulance service contract.
Santabarbara has advocated for REMS in the past, having sent a letter to help expedite the state Department of Health’s approval of the company’s controlled substance license and serving as a reference in its proposal submitted to the town last week. He again spoke in favor of REMS on Monday, calling it “a very important asset to the community” and questioning why the town would contemplate a different company.
“I don’t see a reason to change the service at this point,” he said.
Mohawk Ambulance, the for-profit company shooting for the contract, has been dispatched to most emergencies in the town since mid-November and has answered 138 calls. REMS is dispatched by the town only when the caller specifically requests its ambulances.
Members of the Town Board are expected to select one of the companies during their meeting Wednesday. They reviewed both proposals and asked questions of the two companies during a lengthy meeting last week.
Both Mohawk and REMS are offering a five-year contract to provide GPS-equipped paramedic-level ambulances to the town without subsidy. Neither company is offering payments of any kind to the town, meaning the services pitched in the two proposals aren’t substantively different.
But there are significant differences in the details, said Dean Romano, a member of REMS’ board of directors. Among them are the service charges.
Romano said REMS charges patients $550 for basic life support service and $750 for the first level of advanced life support service provided by paramedics. Once a paramedic is providing care, additional charges can accrue.
Mohawk charges patients a fee of $685 for basic life support services and $1,053 for advanced life support service. But these costs are primarily footed by insurance companies and not patients, said Mike Bohne, a spokesman for the company.
“Mohawk’s historical data shows 95 percent of patients it has served in the town of Rotterdam were insured,” he said. “Mohawk works with patients on payment plans or hardship waivers when needed.”
REMS is also raising questions about how the process of dispatching Mohawk will impact response times. Mohawk isn’t permitted to be dispatched on the county’s fire radio system — the frequency used to tone out all fire departments outside of the city of Schenectady — meaning dispatchers with the town must call the company directly; the city of Schenectady has its own frequency that does allow the Fire Department to dispatch Mohawk.
Mohawk claims the situation hasn’t and won’t pose any problem, even when the county’s Unified Communications Center comes online.
Bohne said calls in Rotterdam are relayed to Mohawk’s dispatch center, from which they’re broadcast to ambulances in the field.
“Mohawk’s Schenectady County-based paramedic ambulances are equipped with radio equipment that is capable of communicating with other emergency responders who are using the county’s fire radio system,” he said.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
First....it appears that there aren't that many folks who are REQUESTING rems!
Second.....
Quoted Text
Romano said REMS charges patients $550 for basic life support service and $750 for the first level of advanced life support service provided by paramedics. Once a paramedic is providing care, additional charges can accrue.
OK....exactly how much in additional charges? A viable business would know that cost right up front....no? Every other business knows what their costs are both for material, labor, man power. They don't know????
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
This is just so redneck ROTTENdam. Nothing ever changes!
This is NOT a football game, where you are hoping 'your favorite' team wins the superbowl. OMG!
It appears that ROTTENdamians are no different than METROPLEX/GILLEN, McMayor or the powers that be in ROTTENdam.
You ALL have your own 'friends and family' club!!
A-G-A-I-N.....What about the raises???? What about the raises???? What about the raises????
You are all wasting all of this time and energy on who is going to be the ambulance service. You all make it sound like you'll all be WITHOUT an ambulance service! OMG
When the REAL issue is THE SELF-IMPOSED raises!!! O-M-G!!!
It is embarrassing to say the least. And the media spreads this embarrassment over the air waves and in print so the surrounding towns/cities can get a good laugh!
And the ROTTENdam powers that be are laughing all the way to the bank.
they created a 'perfect storm' and the redneck sheople fell for it!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
John A. Nuzback - Schenectady County Fire & EMS Coordinator.
John is a past Chief of Carman Fire Department in Rotterdam, NY and has been involved with fire and EMS services since 1974. He is a New York State Certified Emergency Medical Technician and a member of Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services, Inc., Board of Directors.
Prior to becoming Fire/EMS Coordinator, Nuzback was employed by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory for 25 years, serving as Captain and Fire Chief of Incident Prevention and most recently Fire Protection Specialist in Site Engineering. He is also a former adjunct faculty member of Schenectady County Community College where he taught for 24 years.
In 2007, Nuzback was selected as Basic Life Support Educator of the Year by the Schenectady County EMS Council and received the same honor from the Regional Emergency Medical Organization (REMO) which encompasses the six counties of Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady.
In 2009, Nuzback received a special recognition award from the Schenectady County EMS Council for his 35 years of "Excellence and Outstanding Contribution" to Emergency Medical Services within Schenectady County.
Nuzback is a certified New York State Level II Fire Investigator and received his National Certification as a Fire Investigator in January 2010.
John, who resides in Rotterdam is married and the father of three grown children and two grandchildren. In his spare time, Nuzback enjoys visiting his daughter in San Diego and spending time with his grandsons, JJ and Brady.
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
~ 138 calls for less than a month at ~$700 each is almost $100,000 or $1.2million per year on the low end and REMS can break even - nice chunk of change up for grabs
~ 138 calls for less than a month at ~$700 each is almost $100,000 or $1.2million per year on the low end and REMS can break even - nice chunk of change up for grabs
And how many employees does mohawk employ? How 'bout medical benefits? Payroll? Social security, disability, compensation. Not to mention the vehicles.... maintenance, fuel, insurance, inspections, licenses. And then there is a building/s that house office employees....again, heat, lights, legal fees, accounting fees, payroll, medical benefits, social security, disability, compensation...blah blah blah.
Doesn't anyone know anything about running a 'real business'?
And furthermore.....rems don't hard bill....so most of that money wouldn't see the light of day and be pi$$ed down the drain.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I don't live in Rotterdam, but the chicanery here in the city is intertwined with the county, certainly. Mohawk Ambulance is city based, but it appears that family ties are a factor in this fight, besides, when one group pulls a fast one the others tend to copy. Look at the "delicate" talks between city and county over the money that BS stiffed the county. The cancer of corruption spreads easily. I could not care less how anybody living in Rotterdam chooses to ride to a hospital, or receive emergency treatment. What I do care about is the old, "look, we saved money" ploy that people keep falling for. It happens to us in the city, time and again. Such as, the garbage fee we now pay. I see that many, many people still do not believe that when we were already paying for trash collection, and we switched to a new fee, we are being charged twice for the same service. Rotterdam residents are county residents, same as me. I need people to understand and care more about this money stuff. Even though, in this particular instance I am not personally affected, I do care about Rotterdam for a lot of reasons, and I certainly care about the financial health of the whole county. How many of you voted for Sue Savage? That's right, neither did I? How many of us suffered when that Trustco building was bought and removed from the tax rolls, and her answer as to why it was sitting empty was "taxpayer dollars"? That's right, we all did. Unfortunately, what happens in the voting booth in one small part of the county does not stay in one part. Your leaders took your money, put it in their own pocket, and then they told you they "saved" it.
, but it appears that family ties are a factor in this fight, besides, when one group pulls a fast one the others tend to copy.
I could not care less how anybody living in Rotterdam chooses to ride to a hospital, or receive emergency treatment. What I do care about is the old, "look, we saved money" ploy that people keep falling for.
You are SPOT ON with both of these statements. It is VERY difficult to change the 'old mentality' of the 'embedded'. As long as no one raises the bar and actually THINKS for themselves, and not get caught up in the 'smoke and mirrors'....the sooner things will change for the better.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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