Village Ambulance Service conducts a training session for the use of a wheelchair lift in one of its non-emergency medical transport vans.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Starting today, Village Ambulance Service will start transporting mobility-impaired clients as part of a new non-emergency medical transport service.

 

NEMT/wheelchair transportation is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is available for medical and non-medical travel.

 

"There certainly are other services out there," said Erwin Steubner, the president of the VAS Board of Directors. "We'd like to keep it local, home grown. It's not going to be a huge financial benefit for us, but it's a service we can provide the community."

 

It is a service that grew out of a partnership between Village Ambulance and Williams College, which saw an increased need for transportation to the hospital, especially after nearby North Adams Regional Hospital closed in 2014.

 

"Their security folks were being swamped with calls," VAS General Manager Shawn Godfrey said. "So they conracted with us."

 

That agreement included the purchase of two vans. Village Ambulance foresaw the practicality of equipping each of those vans with wheelchair lift, and the college agreed to outfit the vehicles with the equipment, Godfrey said.

 

"As part of the bargain with them, they very generously agreed to let us use the two vans during the summer for community transport," Godfrey said."As we looked at ... there's a real need for this throughout the community year round. So we just purchased a third van so we can continue to provide community service even after the college starts in the fall."

 

Although the service officially is being launched on July 1, a "soft opening" already already has drawn strong response, Godfrey said.

 

Clients can call ahead or email Village Ambulance to arrange a pickup, and the the service will help process insurance payment for those clients and trips -- doctor's appointments and physical therapy, for example -- that qualify.

 

Village Ambulance is a Medicaid-qualified NEMT provider throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Vermont. Private insurance policies also may cover transportation, and VAS strives to offer competitive pricing for those who pay out of pocket, Godfrey said.

 

Before VAS decided to launch the program, it discussed the need with local medical providers, rehab centers and nonprofits.

 

"Southwestern Vermont Medical Center was delighted to hear we're doing this," Godfrey said. "They do have Green Mountain Transit, and I don't want to take anything away from them. However, they run more of a fixed-loop system, whereas we're on demand. You call us, and we're up there in 20 minutes.

 

"And we want to run this 24/7. There is a need for that. The overnight is where they find the transportation gap. Like Green Mountain only runs until 5 p.m. If a patient has to leave at 7, they'll have to send them by ambulance, and it gets more muddy. It becomes a question of, is it medically necessary?"

 

In order to expand its service to offer 24/7 NEMT, Village Ambulance has added employees. Adding the three vans to an already overtaxed Water Street facility has the service looking at off-site options for garage space.

 

"The ambulances have to be stored in a heated space under cover," Steubner said. "The vans don't necessarily need to be, but it would be ideal if they were."

 

To inquire about Village Ambulance's NEMT service, call, toll free, 1-844-303-7739.