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Regional ambulance volunteers plead for higher municipal support, equipment and billing fixes
Summary
Presenters from Hope Valley and Ashaway ambulance associations outlined rising maintenance costs, low insurance reimbursements, equipment needs and volunteer shortages; Hope Valley requested $72,000 (up from $68,000) and Ashaway described billing shortfalls and grant/fundraising efforts.
Pat Hawkins (treasurer, Hope Valley Ambulance) and Eric Perrin (treasurer, Ashaway Ambulance Association) briefed the council on operations, capital and operating pressures facing local EMS providers and asked the town to consider increased support.
Hawkins said Hope Valley Ambulance requested a slight operating increase to $72,000 this year (up from $68,000) and described heavy maintenance spending — about $60,000 last year — driven by major repairs such as a rear‑end rebuild ($9,800) and a transmission replacement ($7,500) on ambulances.
"A lot of it came from maintenance. We spent about $60,000 in maintenance last year," Hawkins said, describing vehicle repair costs that have strained the association's budget.
Hawkins and other speakers said ambulance agencies collected significant gross charges but face very low net recoveries from insurers. Hawkins reported nearly $500,000 in medical reimbursements last year but also described constrained staffing, difficulty competing with larger neighboring departments on wages, and reliance on volunteer crews to cover overnight or second‑crew shifts.
Eric Perrin described billing and reimbursement challenges in more detail: he said the association built out $1,088,000 in billed services from December to year‑end and collected $90,698; he also reported that in January 2025 the association billed $403,506 and collected $32,788. Perrin said Rhode Island's insurance reimbursement rates are low, with southern Rhode Island among the lowest in the state.
Both associations listed equipment priorities: cardiac monitors (Lifepak‑style monitors) at roughly $35,000–$40,000 each, a battery‑powered automated CPR device ("Lucas") at about $20,000, pediatric monitor leads and medication costs. Perrin said state mandates (new equipment or medications) sometimes arrive without funding and that unfunded mandates and shifting protocols have created unplanned costs.
Speakers described mitigation efforts: switching billing companies to reduce collection fees (from about 5.5% to around 4%), seeking grants (one applied grant for $10,000 requiring matched donations), fundraising, and requests for district or town support. Perrin asked the council to consider support letters for congressional earmarks or federal grants and noted that changing billing vendors can create temporary cash‑flow gaps while transitions occur.
Presenters noted coordination with the fire districts and hospitals for exchanges of medications (a 1‑for‑1 exchange program with Kent Hospital for Narcan) and asked for town help in pursuing grant opportunities and federal funding to replace aging vehicles and purchase monitors. No final town vote or appropriation was recorded during the workshop.
