Sewickley Township Community Ambulance Service

Since the reorganization of the Sewickley Township Community Ambulance Service (STCAS or the Service) in 2006, STCAS has been receiving the 2 mil tax money that was allocated for emergency services and rescue. During a public township meeting in November 2008, it was announced that future tax money would be reallocated to include an allocation for the township fire departments and emergency management. This reallocation reduced the amount of money provided to STCAS.

Under procedures adopted by the Township, future tax money must be applied for, and is no longer guaranteed to the Service. Due to this change, STCAS needs additional financial support to maintain its operations. As in the past, STCAS will hold a subscription drive to generate needed funds from within the community. This is not a mandatory subscription; however, subscription funds will provide on-going support to STCAS to maintain day-to-day operations and to ensure quality emergency services. Your contributions help to fund ambulance maintenance, building costs and other operational costs. Your subscription period will begin May 1, 2009 and run through April 20, 2010.

Your subscription will lessen your worry about how to pay for an ambulance bill when injury or illness strikes, although wheelchair van services or non-medically necessary transports are not covered by the subscription. As in the past, scheduled ambulance transports will need to be coordinated through a physician with appropriate required insurance authorizations. STCAS is required by law to collect any deductibles and co-pays, as STCAS is governed by Medicare billing guidelines.

STCAS thanks the community for graciously supporting the emergency service tax. Since its reorganization, STCAS has been successful in providing optimum emergency care to the citizens of Sewickley township and Madison Borough, as well as providing employment opportunities. STCAS currently has two Advanced Life Support ambulances that are licensed by the department of health. STCAS also staffs 42 certified volunteers, the majority being EMTs and paramedics, as well as 12 paid EMTs and paramedics, of which many reside in the community. This staffing ensures that the Service is ready and available for calls 24/7. Since its reorganization, STCAS has responded to over 5000 emergencies. The Service is proud to provide quality care to members of the community in times of need.

It is the strong desire of the Service to continue to provide emergency care to the community. However, it cannot meet this objective without appropriate funding. While the Service is seeking subscription money, the Service is also giving back to the community by continuing to offer free blood pressure screenings at the station at no cost. Further, as an ASHI certified training center, STCAS offers community education, first aid and CPR classes at a minimum fee. Please let us know if you are interested in any of these services.

Thank you for your continued support. If you need a receipt for your subscription, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your subscription request.

The following is a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions reguarding our subscription drive. If your questions is not answered below, please click here and complete the online form and a representative from STCAS will contact you shortly.

Q:        I pay a two mil tax, why should I pay a subscription?

A:        In the past STCAS has offered a subscription membership and fund drive to help raise money to offset the cost of operations. In 2006, the two mil tax increase went into effect, providing a financial base to STCAS. In 2008, the Sewickley Township Supervisors announced that this money will now need to be applied for, and a committee would disperse these funds between the fire departments, ambulance service, and emergency management. In 2008, STCAS received a portion of the two mil tax; however, the amount was less than 3% of our operating budget. Because of this change, the subscription drive is being set up to assist with operating costs.

Q:        Why was the tax changed?

A:        Unfortunately STCAS is unable to answer this, as we do not know the details.

Q:        When does the subscription drive begin?

A:        The subscription letters were mailed on April 16, 2009. The membership drive will run May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010. All transports before May 1, 2009 will be treated as they were in the past. A one month grace period, May 2009, will be used for this year only. If a patient is transported during the month of May, they will have until June 1, 2009 to pay for an active subscription.

Q:        What does my subscription pay for?

A:        The money received from your subscription helps to offset the costs of our day-to-day operations costs. Your money will be used for new equipment, upkeep and maintenance of vehicles, training of personnel, medical supplies, and standard utilities. Your subscription money will help ensure that STCAS will continue to provide 24 hour quality emergency care 7 days a week.

Q:        What does my subscription cover?

A:        Your subscription covers emergency and non-emergency ambulance transports. It does cover pre-arranged ambulance transfers. Pre-arranged transports must be medically necessary, and coordinated through a physician with appropriate documents. STCAS does not have a wheelchair van, and therefore cannot provide wheelchair van transports. We will be happy to recommend a service that will provide these services.

Q:        STCAS has paid staff, am I paying for their salary?

A:        STCAS does staff 11 paid personnel. This is done to ensure round the clock care, as most of our volunteers have full-time jobs, or other obligations. While there are typically volunteers available, paid staff ensures 24/7 availability. As in the past, money received from direct billing is typically used to pay our paid personnel. Subscription money is not generally used to pay staff.

Q:        What am I still responsible for if I subscribe?

A:        While you are a subscriber, you are still responsible for providing STCAS and/or STCAS’s billing company with all relevant personal, medical, and insurance information. Ensuring that all Medicare and private insurance requirements are met, including paying co-pays, will still be your responsibility. You are responsible for notifying STCAS and submitting any payments paid to you by your insurance company for your ambulance transport. Please be advised that checks from private insurance companies may be mailed to you with your explanation of benefits forms. Please check for these after any ambulance transport. If you receive a check in this manner, please forward the check and a copy of the explanation of benefits form to STCAS, or bring it to the station and we will copy it for your.

Q:        Why do I have to pay a co-pay for my insurance if I am a subscriber?

A:        STCAS is governed by Medicare guidelines and standards. This unfortunately cannot be changed.

Q:        How much does the subscription cost?

A:        The cost for this year’s subscription membership is as follows:

Ø Single - $40

Ø Household - $50

Ø Senior Single - $20

Please note that there is no longer a senior family rate. If you live in a household of 2 seniors, simply pay for 2 seniors, or $40. If your household is mixed and includes a senior resident, the senior will still be covered by the household rate of $50. A household is defined as any permanent resident living under one roof. The names of all permanent residents in the household must be included with your subscription for them to be covered.

Q:        If I subscribe does this guarantee that STCAS ambulance/crew will treat and/or transport me?

A:        While STCAS strives to cover every emergency call in our area, there are occasions when our call volume exceeds our available ambulances/personnel. To ensure that our residents still receive quality care in a timely manner, we have agreements with our neighboring services. In the event that we are already out on calls, a neighboring service is placed on standby to cover our area. If they are called in they will treat and transport you. Occasionally some of our staff may arrive in personal vehicles to assist those services. While we have these agreements, we are proud that very few of our emergencies have had to be turned over to other services.

Q:        I’ve seen STCAS vehicle out of their service area, why?

A:        There are numerous reasons that STCAS vehicles may be seen out of the service area. The vehicle may be returning from a call, or transporting a resident in need of an ambulance to an outlying facility. While most of our maintenance is done in house, warranty issues must be repaired at a Ford garage, which we do not have in our area. We also have agreements to cover emergencies in neighboring service areas if they are already out on calls; therefore the unit may be responding to an emergency for another service. In return, these services cover our calls if we exceed our resources. Rest assured, our primary concern is, and will continue to be, our community.

Q: Do I have to subscribe?

A: The subscription is not mandatory, it is voluntary. It is, however, highly recommended. If you choose not to subscribe, you will still receive quality emergency care. We would like as many of our residents as possible to subscribe. The low cost for the subscription supplies the ambulance with funds necessary for operations. We continue to operate because of community support.