A process that began nearly six months ago has culminated in a successful expansion of territory for Mercy Flight EMS. As of Friday, March 31, upon approval by the NYS Department of Health, Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance Inc.’s (COVA’s) Certificate of Need was officially transferred to Mercy Flight EMS. This allows the nonprofit to operate ground ambulance service in all of Orleans County and the Town of Hamlin, in addition to its existing territories of Genesee and Niagara Counties, and the Town of Concord and Village of Springville in Erie County.
“Until last Friday we’ve been operating in Orleans County and the Town of Hamlin under an agreement with COVA that allowed us to hire all of their former employees and staff their ambulances,” said Scott Wooton, Mercy Flight’s Executive Vice President. “Now, we can continue to provide high-quality, nonprofit EMS services in these particular municipalities in our own right.” Wooton states, “Operationally, it really all boils down to a cosmetic change at this point as we look to add our branding to vehicles and outfit COVA’s former employees in Mercy Flight EMS uniforms. But as an organization, it validates what we aim to do and the manner in which we try to do it. We believe that patient-focused, compassionate, nonprofit ambulance service can thrive, even in rural communities where limited access to healthcare can be a major risk factor for residents.”
Mercy Flight President Margaret Ferrentino adds, “We’d like to thank the Big Lakes and Monroe-Livingston Regional EMS Councils as well as the NYS DOH Bureau of EMS for their work and diligence during the application process. Just as importantly, we’d like to recognize COVA for over 40 years of dedicated service to their community and their efforts to ensure that the residents of Central Orleans County experienced no lapse in ambulance coverage. We are really proud to have been able to hire COVA’s dedicated employees and pick up the torch that they’d been carrying for over four decades.”
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