BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG --  North Star Health Alliance, which includes Ogdensburg and Carthage hospitals,  will soon launch its own ambulance service to ensure critical access transports can be completed.

CEO Richard Duvall said the ambulance service is being launched to supplement local agencies with a primary focus on transportation from facilities to other facilities.

"One of the challenges we've been faced with all over the North Country is the availability of ambulance services to transport patients who need higher levels of care than we can provide locally," he said. "In recent years it's been harder for EMS providers to find staff and volunteers."

Duvall said that locally things have been difficult. In recent weeks he said that a Watertown ambulance was used to transport an Ogdensburg patient to Syracuse, because local options weren't available.

"That's not a situation that anyone wants to see," he said.

Duvall said that while the North Star ambulance services could help with local emergency transports, that's not their primary intent or purpose.

"We really just want to alleviate the problem with patient transfers," he said.

Duvall said he expects to add three ambulances with one at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center one at Carthage Hospital and one as a backup.

Duvall said that even with the addition of North Star's ambulance services, they won't be able to handle all of the facility transports by themselves.

"This is going to supplement existing services to meet the need," he said. "We have no expectation that we'll be able to do all of the transfers."

In a press release issued Sept. 18 North Star Health Alliance (NSHA) said the initiative is designed to ensure timely and reliable patient transfers within the region.

"The necessity for additional emergency medical providers has been well-documented by various agencies and highlighted by numerous media reports over the past several years. NSHA has recognized this gap and is actively seeking a Certificate of Need (CON) from the New York State Department of Health. This certificate will authorize the operation of an ambulance service across the tri-counties region, with a primary focus on facilitating inter-facility transfers," the release said.

According to the release, the proposed service will connect patients to and from North Star Health Alliance's network of hospitals, medical offices, school-based clinics, and outpatient facilities. Members of NSHA include Carthage Area Hospital (CAH), Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC), North Country Orthopaedic Group (NCOG), Meadowbrook Terrace, and Rural Health Clinics in Carthage, Canton, Hammond, Madrid, Ogdensburg, Philadelphia, and Waddington. Additionally, the service will support school-based clinics located at Beaver River Central School, Carthage Middle School, Carthage High School, and LaFargeville Central School.

“Our goal is to ensure that patients receive prompt transport to higher levels of care while allowing local volunteer ambulance services to focus on community emergencies,” said Dominic Doldo, Vice President of Emergency Services and Security at North Star Health Alliance.

“We are committed to supporting the communities we serve, and our new ambulance service will actively participate in county-wide mutual aid plans in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.”

North Star Health Alliance anticipates receiving approval from the Department of Health and aims to commence operations by Jan. 1, 2025.