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Fog/Mist South Nassau to run additional ambulance in L.B.
Will partner with city, operate secondary service as part of EMS overhaul
As part of its effort to restructure emergency medical services in Long Beach, the city announced this week that it has partnered with South Nassau Communities Hospital to operate an additional ambulance.
The announcement comes as the city said it intends to hire eight civilian paramedics who will operate the Fire Department’s primary ambulance, currently run by the department’s career unit.
South Nassau, the city said, will begin operating its ambulance on May 1 as a secondary response unit, at no cost to the city. South Nassau is converting its urgent-care center into a 911-receiving emergency department at the former Long Beach Medical Center campus that would operate 24 hours a day, a facility hospital officials hope to open by July 1. The SNCH ambulance would be dispatched from East Bay Drive, city officials said.
“South Nassau has made a major commitment to improve medical services on the barrier island in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, so this agreement with the City of Long Beach to provide secondary backup for 911 ambulance calls is a logical next step as part of our overall plan,” said Richard Murphy, president and chief executive officer of SNCH.
The move is part of the city’s effort to restructure the Fire Department, based on recommendations made by the International City/County Management Association’s Center for Public Safety Management, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm the city hired to conduct a comprehensive study of its emergency services in the wake of the LBMC’s closure.
“As recommended by public safety experts, the city and South Nassau are now working together to augment the city’s existing ambulance fleet with South Nassau’s ambulances and institutional capabilities, creating synergies that will result in enhanced services for residents on our barrier island,” City Manager Jack Schnirman said. “With more ambulances, at a lower cost, we are clearly ensuring a greater level of safety than ever before.”
