ST. MARYS: A coalition of regional emergency medical service providers has issued a public notice clarifying how inter-facility ambulance transports—hospital-to-hospital transfers—are handled, emphasizing patient choice, service sustainability, and the continued priority of 911 emergency response.

The guidance applies only to non-emergency inter-facility transports and does not affect how emergency calls are dispatched. Officials stressed that 911 responses will continue to be handled according to each municipality’s designated emergency service to ensure the fastest possible response times for life-threatening situations.

EMS leaders underscored that patients retain the right to choose their ambulance provider for non-emergency transfers. This applies to both members and non-members of ambulance subscription programs. However, if no specific provider is requested at the time a transfer is arranged, the transport may be assigned to the first available appropriate unit or a contracted service in order to prevent delays in patient care.

Membership benefits also remain intact. Current subscribers to ambulance services will have their benefits honored for all qualifying inter-facility transports, according to the statement.

To ensure a preferred provider is used, patients and families are encouraged to make a direct request when the transfer is being scheduled. Transferring facilities are advised to ask whether a patient is a current member of a particular ambulance service and, if so, to contact that provider. For non-members, officials say the transfer request stage is the critical moment to specify a preferred service.

Beyond logistics, the notice also highlighted a broader financial reality facing EMS agencies. Inter-facility transports serve as a vital revenue source that helps sustain local ambulance operations—funding staffing, equipment, and readiness needed to maintain round-the-clock 911 emergency coverage in rural and regional communities.

The joint statement was issued in cooperation with St. Marys Area Ambulance Service, Ridgway Ambulance Corporation, Fox Township Ambulance, Cameron County Ambulance Service, Brockway Area Ambulance Inc., Jefferson County E.M.S, and the Wilcox Volunteer Fire Department Ambulance.

Together, the agencies say the goal is to balance patient choice with operational efficiency—keeping ambulances available, sustainable, and ready to respond when emergencies strike.