The Greater Weatherly Ambulance Association is losing about $75,000 per year, and may not have cash to operate past this time next year.

The operations manager, who took over in February, says the ambulance may have to go out of service some nights during the week if more money isn’t found.

Lorraine Labor appeared before Weatherly Borough Council Monday night to explain the Association’s dire financial situation.

“There’s no money left. There’s enough probably to get us through the next year,” Labor said.

The ambulance association has about $15,000 per month in expenses, and its monthly income doesn’t come close to covering it.

By far the largest cost is payroll for its drivers and paramedics, which totals about $13,000.

The overall budget shortfall, Labor said, is approximately $75,000 per year.

Labor said that in a given month the company takes in $10,000 to $15,000 in gross income, but they split that money with other ambulance companies that respond, leaving them with less than $7,500 in income per month.

One problem is that many patients, particularly overdose patients, have Medicaid.

The government insurance program only pays the ambulance $354 for a call that would normally cost $1,000.

Weatherly Ambulance only offers Basic Life Support, which means when there is a life-threatening emergency, another company offering Advanced Life Support must respond with them. In those cases, they have to split 50-50 any payment they received for the call.

Labor, who is certified to provide ALS, said she tried to get an ALS truck up and running at Weatherly, but she was unsuccessful.

Annual memberships, which cost $25 per household and $15 for retirement homes, only bring in about $30,000 per year.

Solutions

Labor has proposed three ideas to try to get the ambulance back to solvency. Two would involve relying on local taxpayers and a third would involve taking the ambulance out of service some nights during the week.

If Greater Weatherly Ambulance decides to go out of service weeknights Sunday through Thursday, it would save them approximately $57,000 per year. That would not close the budget shortfall, but it would significantly improve it.

The other proposals involve an ambulance tax, which did not seem to interest Weatherly Borough Council. Labor said she’s had discussions about a ballot referendum to give voters the option of a tax.

The third option is having each of the three municipalities served by Greater Weatherly Ambulance — Weatherly, Packer and Lehigh Townships, each contribute $18,750 per year in order to close the budget shortfall.

Memberships

Labor also suggested that Weatherly could help the ambulance association cover its workers’ compensation insurance or diesel fuel costs, like they do for Citizens Fire Co. No. 1. But Councilman Norman Richie pointed out that the borough isn’t required to support an ambulance service like it is a fire company.

The ambulance’s memberships are less than others in the area, but even doubling the cost would not make up the lost funding.

The percentage of residents who get memberships is very low. Oftentimes, the only people who buy them are those who have used the ambulance in the past, and know the cost.

‘Then we have occurrences that if they do not belong, they go to pick the people up and they say ‘oh, can we join now,’ and that’s just not possible,” said Councilwoman Theresa D’Andrea.

Council agreed to hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 so the ambulance can have a platform to let residents know about their financial woes.

Mayor/Council President Tom Connors said he doesn’t want to see a disruption in service, but he made it clear that the problem rests with the ambulance association’s board, not with council.

“The council can’t say ‘the ambulance needs help’ if the (ambulance) board’s not willing to get out there and say, ‘We need help, or we’ll close our doors,’” he said.

Labor said she can’t continue working for the ambulance association past this winter, because she needs a job with benefits and the association is unable to provide them. But she said she continues to make the commute from out of the area to try to help the ambulance, because she considers Weatherly her hometown.

“I’m here because I have a love for this town. I came here two months ago to let you guys know, before the door gets shut, to warn you that this is what’s going to happen,” she said.