Voorheesville officials are investigating what, if any, emergency medical service options it might have, as contract contentions are becoming the norm with its historic provider.
Mayor Robert Conway said the village has had preliminary discussions with the Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Department about the organization providing ambulance service for the village. The possibility was brought up at the Board of Trustees’ Aug. 27 meeting. The matter will likely be discussed at each of the board’s meetings for several months, according to Conway.
“We are not moving towards the firehouse, we are just exploring the possibility of having the firehouse take on the ambulance service,” Conway said. “Given the nature of our last conversations with the volunteers, we thought it was prudent to investigate what else is available or what else is out there.”
Voorheesville Area Ambulance Service currently covers the village. The village signed a contract for the current year’s service recently after a contentious negotiations process lasting several months.
Conway said he believes there is “some interest” among fire department volunteers to provide EMS service, but he was not sure if the interest would be enough for the village to pursue that option.
“Nothing is set in stone and nothing has been agreed to,” Conway said. “The current ambulance service is insistent on being treated like any other vendor and this is what happens.”
He said the village has also had “some very preliminary” investigations into possibly bringing in another service, along with “very preliminary” conversations with the Albany County Sheriff’s Department taking it over full time. The sheriff’s department covers the village from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. already.
“It may be this (VAAS) is the only game in town and figure out a way to work with it,” Conway said. “The ideal solution is to do nothing and to have it continue with the volunteer squad who has done it all these years.”
Allegations abound
VAAS Board of Directors Chairwoman Denise Garrah said problems with the village began in 2007, when the village and Town of New Scotland requested the company bill patients transported to the hospital to offset expenses.
The company did start billing for services provided, but Garrah said Conway criticized VAAS for not starting to bill quicker. Conway told The Spotlight a prior issues was the company’s “reluctance to bill.”
Garrah added the bureaucracy around billing for services took some time to implement and some volunteers felt it was difficult to ask sick or injured patients for their insurance information.
Garrah claimed for the past five years, the village proposed “arbitrary changes” to its contract with the service, often right before the contract was about to expire. Conway vehemently disagreed with the allegation that the board did not keep the ambulance service informed.
Another issue has been meeting times, with village board meetings held at the same time as the ambulance service’s meetings, along with handling of finances.
Conway argued the ambulance service has not been fiscally responsible, but Garrah countered since the service started billing patients its costs have been reduced dramatically.
Conway said the village is not trying to do a “power grab” for the ambulance service, but he is concerned VAAS cannot provide coverage 100 percent of the time.
“I don’t want to be the guy standing there caught totally off guard and people start wondering what are you doing,” Conway said, “and part of that is being fiscally vigilant on how the money flows to them and what they are using it for.”
He said he understands the issue is “emotionally charged,” because the volunteers are “very dedicated” and emotionally attached to the company. Board members haven’t expressed any qualms over the quality of service being provided.
“I think we are both trying to do what we think is best for the village and village taxpayers,” Conway said, “but we are just coming at it from different perspectives.”