Vote To Combine EMS In Media, 5 Other Delco Towns Could Take Place Soon

MEDIA, PA — Media residents could soon learn whether the borough will join a regional group combining ambulance services with up to five other nearby towns.

The proposed entity would create a regional authority providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for Media, Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Rutledge, Swarthmore and Upper Providence. It's designed to stabilize ambulance services after the end of Crozer Health's EMS left many Delco towns scrambling.

• Read more: EMS Overhaul Proposed In Media, Delco Towns: Funding, Structure, Details Rolled Out

A working group has been developing a framework for the authority. Each town's governing body, including Media Borough Council, will need to vote on whether to join the regional authority.

Then, the authority itself would be established — likely governed by a six-person board, with each municipality appointing one member, working group members said during a presentation in late April.

In September, the working group would like each town's governing body to decide whether to join the authority, according to Media Borough Manager Brittany Forman, a member of the working group. A date has not been announced.

Forman shared the update at July 16's Borough Council meeting.

Main Line Health, which has its own EMS, recently reached out to the working group about collaborating, Forman said.

"They're going to be providing two different documents," Forman said. "One is a proposal for the regional group to see how they could work with them. And the other is basically a document for Media Borough that says all the different types of servicing options and costs."

Forman says she'll set aside time in the August meeting for further discussion about that.

What We Know

The regional authority's working title is the Delaware County Emergency Services Authority (Delco ESA). In recent months, a working group of local officials and emergency-service personnel has been developing recommendations for the proposed entity.

In April, the group said much of Delco ESA's funding would come from the health insurance of those who use the service. The remaining cost would be covered by a flat, per-property fee in the member towns.

Patients would still get billed for services. But Delco ESA would slash bills in half for residents of member towns who are uninsured or if they're paying off a deductible.

Once the authority is formed, public hearings will take place to determine its structure and fees. If approved, the authority is expected to begin providing services early next year.

Visit delcoesa.org for more info.