Alamo EMS
Encyclopedia
Alamo Emergency Medical Servies, Inc. (Alamo EMS) was an Advanced Life Support
(ALS) and Basic Life Support
(BLS) ambulance
service owned by Health Quest, with transportation services in the Hudson Valley region of New York
. Alamo operated ambulances staffed by emergency medical technician
s (EMTs) and paramedic
s.
Alamo held Emergency Response 911
contracts and CON
's in Dutchess
, Putnam
, Orange
and Ulster
Counties.
paramedic
James Alamo. In 1966 Jim Alamo moved the company to Poughkeepsie, New York. On March 21, 1966, The Poughkeepsie Common Council voted to contract with Alamo and replace the ambulance contract they had with Vassar and St Francis Hospitals. The initial contact called for Alamo to bill $20 per private call, $16 for welfare calls and a $5 surcharge if oxygen was used. Alamo EMS was one of the main EMS companies to offer services to Dutchess County in the late 1900s.
Before ambulances were readily available, Alamo would have "Fly Cars" or paramedics that have an SUV with all the equipment an ambulance has, including a drug box. This was more practical for towns and jurisdictions that didn't have enough residents to merit a separate ambulance. Often the paramedic would ride in the back of a town ambulance to transport the patient.
In 1996 Alamo became the 51st ambulance service in the United States and the first not-for-profit in the Northeast to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). CAAS [1] is a non-profit organization which was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America's medical transportation system. The primary focus of the Commission's standards is high-quality patient care. This is accomplished by establishing national standards which not only address the delivery of patient care, but also the ambulance service's total operation and its relationships with other agencies, the general public, and the medical community. The Commission's standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements. In 2004 Alamo received its second perfect score for re-accreditation and still maintains its accreditation today.
On December 14, 2007, Northern Dutchess Paramedics
announced a proposed merger with Alamo
EMS. The application was the first step in the regulatory process toward creating an organization which was aimed at better serving the Hudson Valley community in providing emergency and ambulance
services. The joint venture would also have required approval from the New York
State Attorney General
's Office, and the New York State Supreme Court. Health Quest and Northern Dutchess Paramedics
anticipated that the regulatory process would take approximately six to twelve months; however as of December 31, 2008 the merger was not completed and is now abandoned. If it had been completed it would have created the largest independent ambulance provider in the Hudson Valley Region.
On December 17, 2008, the two companies announced that the merger had fallen through, and would not be completed. The companies claimed they had differences that could not be settled. In January 2009 Health Quest began allocating additional funding to Alamo to aid their goal of covering most of the towns in Dutchess County
.
On June 4, 2009, Health Quest, the parent company of Alamo EMS, announced to its employees that the company has been sold to TransCare
, with a projected completion of acquisition of August 1, 2009. The date was pushed back to a later date due to the complexities involved in the takeover. On September 19, 2009, the buyout was completed and all Alamo EMS services were terminated and transitioned to TransCare
.
Up until its demise in 2009, Alamo EMS was the only community-owned ambulance service and was governed by an all-volunteer board of trustees composed of community leaders, and under the guidance the umbrella organization Health Quest. As a "not-for-profit, charitable organization, all operating funds went back into Alamo and increased the quality of the ambulance service offered.
Other than emergency medical services, Alamo operated a full-time Ambulette service which provided service to the disabled seven days a week. Also a Training and Education division hosted a wide array of medical training available to all employees and residents of the jurisdictions of the towns they served.
Advanced Life Support
Advanced Life Support is a set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend Basic Life Support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation .-Components of ALS:These include:...
(ALS) and Basic Life Support
Basic life support
Basic life support is the level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until the patient can be given full medical care at a hospital. It can be provided by trained medical personnel, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and by...
(BLS) ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
service owned by Health Quest, with transportation services in the Hudson Valley region of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Alamo operated ambulances staffed by emergency medical technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
s (EMTs) and paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s.
Alamo held Emergency Response 911
911
Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...
contracts and CON
Con
Con may refer to:*Con is a Latin preposition abbreviated from Contra meaning "against". It is the opposite of Pro another Latin preposition meaning "for",*Confidence trick, also known as con, scam, or flim flam...
's in Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
, Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
, Orange
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
and Ulster
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
Counties.
History
Alamo Ambulance began in the early 1960s in Binghamton, New York byparamedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
James Alamo. In 1966 Jim Alamo moved the company to Poughkeepsie, New York. On March 21, 1966, The Poughkeepsie Common Council voted to contract with Alamo and replace the ambulance contract they had with Vassar and St Francis Hospitals. The initial contact called for Alamo to bill $20 per private call, $16 for welfare calls and a $5 surcharge if oxygen was used. Alamo EMS was one of the main EMS companies to offer services to Dutchess County in the late 1900s.
Before ambulances were readily available, Alamo would have "Fly Cars" or paramedics that have an SUV with all the equipment an ambulance has, including a drug box. This was more practical for towns and jurisdictions that didn't have enough residents to merit a separate ambulance. Often the paramedic would ride in the back of a town ambulance to transport the patient.
On December 14, 2007, Northern Dutchess Paramedics
Northern Dutchess Paramedics
Northern Dutchess Paramedics provides advanced life support and basic life support ambulance transportation services in the Hudson Valley region of New York, USA. NDP operates ambulances staffed by emergency medical technicians and paramedics. NDP holds emergency response 911 contracts in...
announced a proposed merger with Alamo
EMS. The application was the first step in the regulatory process toward creating an organization which was aimed at better serving the Hudson Valley community in providing emergency and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
services. The joint venture would also have required approval from the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
's Office, and the New York State Supreme Court. Health Quest and Northern Dutchess Paramedics
Northern Dutchess Paramedics
Northern Dutchess Paramedics provides advanced life support and basic life support ambulance transportation services in the Hudson Valley region of New York, USA. NDP operates ambulances staffed by emergency medical technicians and paramedics. NDP holds emergency response 911 contracts in...
anticipated that the regulatory process would take approximately six to twelve months; however as of December 31, 2008 the merger was not completed and is now abandoned. If it had been completed it would have created the largest independent ambulance provider in the Hudson Valley Region.
On December 17, 2008, the two companies announced that the merger had fallen through, and would not be completed. The companies claimed they had differences that could not be settled. In January 2009 Health Quest began allocating additional funding to Alamo to aid their goal of covering most of the towns in Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
.
Transcare EMS
TransCare EMS provides Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support ambulance transportation services in the areas of New York City, the Hudson Valley, Long Island, the state of Delaware, the Baltimore-Washington DC corridor and in numerous locations in Pennsylvania. It is the largest privately...
, with a projected completion of acquisition of August 1, 2009. The date was pushed back to a later date due to the complexities involved in the takeover. On September 19, 2009, the buyout was completed and all Alamo EMS services were terminated and transitioned to TransCare
Transcare EMS
TransCare EMS provides Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support ambulance transportation services in the areas of New York City, the Hudson Valley, Long Island, the state of Delaware, the Baltimore-Washington DC corridor and in numerous locations in Pennsylvania. It is the largest privately...
.
Up until its demise in 2009, Alamo EMS was the only community-owned ambulance service and was governed by an all-volunteer board of trustees composed of community leaders, and under the guidance the umbrella organization Health Quest. As a "not-for-profit, charitable organization, all operating funds went back into Alamo and increased the quality of the ambulance service offered.
Other than emergency medical services, Alamo operated a full-time Ambulette service which provided service to the disabled seven days a week. Also a Training and Education division hosted a wide array of medical training available to all employees and residents of the jurisdictions of the towns they served.
Final Management
- General Manager, Marc Reina
- Operations Manager, Vacant
- Communications Manager, Larry Bigando
- Project Manager, George Thomas