How many times can Supervisor Lachterman kick the can down the road to avoid a decision that would secure the future of our two volunteer ambulance corps (VACs): the Yorktown Ambulance Corps and Mohegan EMS, which covers northern Yorktown and northeast Cortlandt.
January. March. May. June. July??
In January, after the Cortlandt Town Board voted to support a joint local study of how the towns could provide supplemental revenue to the VACs, Supervisor Lachterman said the towns should wait for a state-mandated county emergency medical services (EMS) study. He dismissed documents showing the county study would not address the VACs’ financial problems. And despite Cortlandt’s vote, he insisted a joint roundtable meeting with Cortlandt was needed first.
At the March 30 roundtable, Supervisor Lachterman repeated his position on waiting for the county study, and also suggested the towns press Medicare and Medicaid to raise reimbursement rates for the VACs, their primary revenue source.
Although the two VACs and other municipal and county EMS professionals at the meeting supported a local study focused on creating special purpose ambulance districts, Supervisor Lachterman said the towns needed more time to weigh other options ─ and that a second roundtable was needed.
Which led to the May 28 meeting. Once again, the EMS professionals supported studying ambulance districts. With no new options on the table, it looked like the Yorktown Town Board was finally ready to advertise a Request for Proposals (RFP) to study the legal, financial and governance issues associated with creating an ambulance district.
But that didn’t happen. At the June 2 Town Board meeting, at the last minute, Supervisor Lachterman had a new idea: the study should look into “anything and everything,” including merging the two VACs.
This is despite the fact that both VACs stated publicly ─ in no uncertain terms ─ that they have no interest in merging, and despite the fact that the VACs are independent non-profits, so the towns can’t require them to merge. It is also despite the fact that a single merged VAC won’t necessarily resolve the underlying problem ─ the need for supplemental revenue.
Supervisor Lachterman also wanted the study to examine whether the VACs were maximizing their insurance reimbursements ─ despite the fact that at the March meeting, the VACs explained they already use an experienced third-party vendor for exactly that.
On June 2, the board finally voted to advertise an RFP – but agreed it wouldn’t actually be advertised until members saw the final revised text. That hasn’t happened yet.
So the current situation begs the question: why waste time studying something neither VAC wants, won’t implement, and which won’t resolve their financial problem?
The answer is simple: by first delaying, for months, the study supported by the VACs and other EMS professionals, and then trying to load the study with irrelevant bells and whistles, Supervisor Lachterman has effectively postponed any timely discussion on how to address the VACs’ financial needs.
Supervisor Lachterman has consistently opposed the ambulance district solution because it means a tax increase ─ and he’s against any tax increase, no matter what it’s for. We all hate tax increases. But we also need to know that an ambulance will be available to respond to our emergency medical calls in the shortest possible time, even if that might cost you $5 or $20 more a year.
Nor has Supervisor Lachterman taken the time to ask YOU what YOU might want:
What level of emergency medical service do YOU want and how much are YOU willing to pay for it?
What’s more important to YOU: a one-time $20 pizza, or knowing an ambulance will get you to the hospital in time when you have a medical emergency?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not dismissing the idea that someday it may make sense to study a single VAC. But first things first. First, let’s deal with the financial issue. Then, we can look into other possible organizational changes.
Actually, creating an ambulance district now can lead to greater efficiencies and cost savings from shared services and purchasing. That’s because once the VACs receive taxpayer dollars, the towns will have operational and financial oversight of VAC budgets and operations, plus the ability to set response time standards and standards of care. The VACs will retain their independence, but they’ll be accountable to both town boards ─ and taxpayers.
The needed next step: If Supervisor Lachterman is serious about wanting to help the VACs, he needs to reconsider changing the draft RFP text before it’s advertised: drop the merger issue and other bells and whistles, and focus the study on creating the ambulance district and its tax impact.
Then present the information to the public and, most importantly, give residents the chance to decide what they want and are willing to pay for.
Susan Siegel is member of the Yorktown Town Board.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here