Jeannette EMS shuts down after 63 years
Jeannette EMS announced that they were shutting Monday night after 63 years.
According to a Facebook post, the department ceased operations at 7 p.m., citing poor reimbursement rates from insurance companies.
A plan is in place for neighboring services to provide ambulance coverage for the time being until a more solidified plan is put in place, the department said.
They continued on in the post to say:
“We are sadly not the first service to have this happen to us and we will unfortunately not be the last. We urge you, speak with your government representatives. Let them know that a plan needs to be formulated to save EMS services before it’s too late. The alarm has been sounding for years now and no changes have been made.
“For the residents, friends, visitors and everyone else in Jeannette, please know we appreciate everything you have done for us over the years. The donations, the cards, the treats. All of it has been appreciated. We ask that you please do the same for the services who will temporarily cover the city and, once named, the permanent provider for our great town.”
Neighbors in Jeannette are worried about the long term implications of the closure.
“I think the life expectancy of some streets and blocks around here may go down a little bit,” said Tyler Delauter, who lives just a few houses down from Jeannette EMS. “They’ve been busy. They’re always busy. We have some problems in the neighborhood that leak out and I think that the response time with the other ems stations now with the plan going forward, seconds and minutes are going to be pretty life changing for a lot of people around here.”
Our news partners at the Trib report if there is an emergency requiring EMS on scene, crews from Penn Township and mutual aid will respond depending on where the call is placed.
“There’s been a couple of instances that happened here, right down here. And I know that because the EMS was right here, some of us didn’t even need to call. We just ran down, someone poked their head out, and they started rendering aid immediately,” Delauter said. “That’s going to be missed if something does happen.”
While those other EMS services will temporarily serve this area of Jeannette, a more permanent solution has not yet been named.
You can read the full announcement below:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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