Local ambulance service in jeopardy of not having enough funding to continue services

Lower Valley Ambulance Service is in jeopardy of not having enough funding to continue its services.

“I didn’t know it was this bad,” said Elizabeth Paterak. “We need them.”

Elizabeth Paterak lives in Springdale. She says she has depended on LVAS more than once.

“That would be very sad if they close,” said Paterak.

LVAS has been around for about 50 years. The service area covers about 30 square miles, which includes seven communities — Cheswick, Harmar Township, Indiana Township, Oakmont, Springdale, Springdale Township, and Verona.

“It’s part of our lives,” said LVAS board president Joseph Luera. “I joined here when my son was born, and he had a lot of health problems. I felt the need to help out the community. They were all volunteer then. I joined and ran as a volunteer. I care for the community and even more I care for our workers.”

It costs about $85,000 a month to run Lower Valley with 27 employees. Luera says LVAS has about $100,000 left, which would cover just over a month of operating costs.

“We’re in very dire need right now,” said Luera. “We’re going to try our hardest to make sure these doors never close.”

Luera says LVAS relies on reimbursements from insurance companies and memberships. He says funds from both sources have been way down this year. To combat this, Luera wants to see an EMS tax.

“The ultimate thing to do would be an EMS tax where it would come on the referendum,” said Luera. “We’d let the people vote for it. Because they’re the ones ultimately who dial 911 and need us.”

Until then, LVAS is looking for its own lifeline. Luera says the nonprofit has discussed cutting overtime but ultimately decided not to do that. It also tried to extend a line of credt.

“We had a line of credit,” said Luera. “Because of our cash flow, which stems back to billing and such. Because of our line of credit, they denied it at this time. But we also are in communications with several other services in the area to sit down. We’re all on the same table. Some worse than others. Sit down and see if we could work together to make this work and continue on.”

Luera says LVAS is meeting with Harmar Township and hope to sit down with the other jurisdictions in LVAS’ area. Borough of Oakmont Manager Scot Fodi says the borough has been talking with others who provide mutual aid and are hoping to hear more about LVAS’ situation by next week.

“We have so many irons in the fire right now, and I’m going to put whatever it takes to save this ambulance service so it can protect these communities,” said Luera. “These seven communities that we take care of for now and years to come.”

Luera says he wants to be transparent about everything, especially with the people who want to donate to LVAS.

“If anyone is interested, they’re more than welcome to come to our office during daylight hours, and we don’t hide anything,” said Luera. “Everything is transparent. They can come and see our books. It’s all on the dotted line. What’s coming in and what’s going out. Transparency has always been a big thing with me. We’re not hiding anything. We want the communities to know there’s nothing hidden in what we spend. It’s very important that the communities know this. They’re the ones who are ultimately going to be funding this, and they need to know where their money is going.”

The International Association of EMTs and Paramedics shared this statement:

“While IAEP Local 150 has demanded to bargain over any potential cessation of operations by Lower Valley Ambulance Service, no direct or indirect evidence has been received by the local which indicates whether a shutdown is tangibly imminent. Until such time as Lower Valley Ambulance Service officially announces any solvency or operational issues to the local, or to the public, Local 150 will maintain neutrality out of professional respect for its managerial partners.

“It is the personal and professional hope of all Local 150 members that Lower Valley Ambulance remains operational in perpetuity. Our members will make all reasonable efforts to uphold the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and continue providing excellent emergency medical service to their patients.

At this time, we have no further comment.”

LVAS has responded to more than 4,200 calls so far this year.

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