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Goodfellowship Ambulance seeks bigger municipal support as call volume and costs surge
Summary
Goodfellowship Ambulance told the West Chester Public Safety Committee it projects $6.2 million in 2026 expenses, expects a substantial increase in call volume and is seeking a larger municipal contribution to close a funding gap.
Chas Bergen, executive director of Goodfellowship Ambulance, presented the agency’s 2026 budget request and a proposed revised service agreement to the Borough of West Chester Public Safety & Quality of Life Committee. Bergen said total projected expenses for 2026 are roughly $6.2 million and described a funding gap the agency seeks to close through revised municipal contributions and development work.
“Current contract language that mixes a 50/50 expectation between municipal support and donations is not attainable anymore,” Bergen said, describing rising capital and operating costs. He said Goodfellowship’s planned capital needs include new ambulances (recent order: $305,000 for a chassis; a second expected vehicle at approximately $357,000) as well as deferred building renovations and other capital needs. Bergen said the agency will onboard a government‑grant writer and pursue fundraising and software investments to increase non‑municipal revenue.
Bergen described operational changes: Goodfellowship expanded to cover all of West Whiteland Township and is participating in a county pilot begun in July that sends certain 9‑1‑1 patients directly to a behavioral‑health facility — an approach Bergen said is not generally permitted under Pennsylvania regulation outside of an approved pilot. He said the agency now expects more than 9,000 dispatches in 2026 and that Goodfellowship handles roughly 22% of all EMS dispatches in Chester County.
Bergen presented a draft allocation that would increase West Chester’s 2026 share to roughly $298,000; he said West Chester’s projected increase reflects higher call volumes originating in the borough. He warned that a prior strategy used in 2025 — short‑term state 2% loans to cover capital and operating gaps — is not an option for 2026 because the agency has reached the program limit.
Committee members asked for a more detailed breakdown of where borough calls originate and whether a portion of calls are transports for for‑profit nursing homes, the university or outpatient medical trips. Bernie Flynn, chair of public works and a council member, said Bergen would prepare a report showing borough call‑volume demographics for committee review.
