BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — AMR's regional director, Timothy Frost, addressed Buffalo's Common Council directly Tuesday afternoon following concerns about response times.
"We hear your concerns and quite honestly we share some of them," Frost said.
Frost stated hospital delays, staffing issues and inappropriate requests for ambulances compound challenges surrounding response times.
"Unfortunately, there is no silver bullets to solve that issue," he said. "However, there are things that can be put in place to help stem the tides of those problems."
In July, the 7 News I-Team obtained a letter sent to AMR, by Buffalo Common Councilman Mitch Nowakowski, explaining some people in his district have been left "without proper care for over an hour or no service at all."
In August, Frost wrote a letter hoping it would "shed a light on the current state of the City of Buffalo's emergency medical services (EMS) system" and provide an update on its performance.
At the meeting Tuesday, Frost suggested subscribing to a national "nurse navigation" program that sends expert nurses to low-priority calls — an idea council members seemed to favor.
"I absolutely believe that that would not only help response times, it will help emergency room overcrowding as well as what's most important here is connect people to the resources that they need," he said.
Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo also took questions from council members regarding the partnership and contract with AMR which expired in 2020. I was told Monday that the delay was because contract conversations stalled between AMR and the Buffalo Fire Department.
"Can't really speak to why it took as long as it has," Renaldo said. "Part of the reason I think is because they've been fulfilling their contract obligations even though there wasn't a contract in place."
I asked Renaldo why there was so much confusion around who was responsible for negotiating the contract since it was unclear who was in charge of it.
"I don't think there was confusion," he replied.
Renaldo said things are back on track with getting a proposal to AMR that would include the "Nurse Navigation" program.
"That was the first official communication I have heard about the contract other than its existence in some time," Frost said. "We would love nothing to have the contract portion of this answered."
