BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — American Medical Response is hoping to shed light on the current state of emergency medical services in the City of Buffalo following criticism by the Buffalo Common Council.
Last month, 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."
"These delays are not only alarming but also pose severe risks to the health and well-being of our residents," Nowakowksi said. You can watch the full report below.
On Monday, AMR's regional director, Timothy Frost, responded to the Buffalo Common Council's and Nowakowski's comments regarding wait times and operating without a contract.
Frost wrote it hopes to "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.
The letter acknowledges that AMR has been operating without a contract since the terms of its agreement with the city expired on September 30, 2020. AMR said it proposed a short-term extension but did not receive a response.
On August 21, 2021, the city issued an RFP for ambulance services and AMR followed up with a response on October 1, 2021. Frost said AMR was awarded the contract and at the request of Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo, drafted an agreement for negotiations which was sent two weeks later. AMR said a response has still not been received.
Response Times
In Nowakowski's letter to AMR, he demanded information about response times, over the past year, and information about shortages in staffing or vehicles that he says might be contributing to these delays.
AMR previously said it was assessing the concerns raised by Nowakowski and looked forward to providing a detailed status report in September. You can watch the full report below.
In his recent letter, Frost said that the challenges of response times are compounded by inappropriate requests for ambulances and hospital delays. According to Frost, each day there are about 40 low-acuity calls that could be handled by alternate transportation solutions such as Lyft and Uber.
He said that 26 percent of calls are low acuity which strains the system and means long wait times for non-emergency needs.
"These calls strain the EMS system and take resources away from true medical emergencies," he wrote.
The letter also states that AMR offered the city the opportunity to subscribe to a national Nurse Navigation program to send expert nurses to low-acuity calls. It was offered again to the city in June but AMR said it still has not received a response.
Despite the challenges, Frost said its response times remain within industry standards. From July 2023 to June 2024, the average response time for life-threatening emergencies was 9 minutes and 21 seconds. The average response time to a non-life-threatening emergency was 10 minutes.
Since Nowakowski sent the letter to AMR, the 7 News I-Team has been working to find out how delayed ambulances are. The 7 News I-Team has asked for more detailed response times but AMR is refusing to answer.
DRANTCH: Do you see a problem with AMR and its response times?
GRAMAGLIA: There has been issues. I've heard it myself, particularly during the daytime. It's obviously a much busier time...I hear it on the radio - "You're in line for an ambulance" or "It's going to be a significant wait."
You can watch the full report below.
The city has even said it could explore the possibility of establishing its own EMS service following AMR complaints.
"I think at the very least we can take a look at it," Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon said. You can watch the report below.
Hospital Delays
In its letter, AMR stated that Western New York hospital systems continue to be "greatly strained, leading to hospital backups which, in turn, increase the amount of time it takes ambulance crews to offload patients."
"Ambulances in Buffalo typically spend more time at the hospital waiting to transfer the patient and prepare for the next call than they do responding to the call, time on the scene, and the time transporting to the hospital combined," AMR wrote.
The letter also details the waiting experience at hospitals. AMR said it waits 46 minutes on average to transition patients to the hospital. In extreme cases, the wait can be greater than four hours.
AMR is also asking that government leaders at the city and state levels work together to address the issues.
EMS Staffing Shortage
Frost also acknowledged that there is a significant EMS staffing shortage at the state and national level.
In New York State, the number of certified EMS providers went down from 80,000 before 2019 to 65,000 in 2024.
He also said that of the current certified EMS providers, only half are working for EMS agencies while others have left the field.
Frost said that AMR has been addressing the staffing shortage by developing an Earn While You Learn program that offers people the opportunity to become full-time EMTs while receiving compensation throughout the training.
Council members have asked AMR to testify during a committee meeting next month.
"We look forward to presenting our thoughts, including enhanced performance data, in a comprehensive manner to the Buffalo Common Council Finance Committee on September 10, 2024," Frost wrote.
