Yates starts process for ambulance service

YATES COUNTY--At the Yates County Legislature meeting Monday, Nov. 14, the CEO of Finger Lakes Community Health, Mary Zelazny, provided an update on the operations of the health services facility. Historically, Zelazny explained, the organization was a freestanding service designed to serve farm workers. In 2008-09, a new designation by the federal government allowed Finger Lakes Community Health to expand its reach and serve all.
Zelazny discussed various programs and services offered, including a new dula program with certified providers. The program helps mothers-to-be to have healthy pregnancies, which reduces the number of newborns in need of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) services. Ultimately, this improves the health of the mother and baby and reduces costs, according to Zelazny.
Finger Lakes Community Health, which is considered a POD (Point of Dispensing) by the government, partners with a variety of agencies in the community and launched a full-scale COVID response with testing and vaccination efforts.
The legislature also heard from Lisa Minns and Tammy Slayton from the Yates County Transit. Reimbursement requests, including for CARES Act funds, have been submitted, and the organization is in the process of submitting grant applications to assist with facility renovation needs. Legislators were also provided with public and contract ridership numbers for each of the routes, comparing numbers to last year. According to the presentation, public ridership is up by approximately 260 and contract ridership is up by about 155.
Legislators also approved more than three dozen resolutions, including 437-22 that allows the application for a Municipal Certificate of Need and Establish an Ambulance Service; 442-22 to fill a Correction Officer's position; 443-22 to fill a full-time Director of Public Health position; and 444-22, which mandates the consultation of New York state Conservation District Employees' Association and New York Association of Conservation District Representatives when an agency or group proposes amendments to New York State Soil & Water Conservation District.
In regards to the ambulance service, the resolution states, "county officials, having met with one or more existing not for profit volunteer ambulance services, have determined that current existing entities within the county continue to have difficulty maintaining sufficiently trained and experienced personnel to provide adequate ambulance coverage within Yates County, and to regularly meet the generally accepted rural ambulance response standards, and the parties are currently unable to develop the synergies necessary to solve the EMS crisis." It continues, "Yates County Emergency Services, with such assistance as might be required from other county departments deemed necessary and appropriate, are authorized and directed to apply for and obtain a municipal certificate of need for an advanced life support ambulance service, and commence operation effective June 11, 2023."
The Yates legislature will meet Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. in the chambers located at 417 Liberty St., Penn Yan, for the public hearing on the proposed 2023 county budget.