REM and Patriot Doubling up in Lawrence County

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

Lawrence County will have two ambulance services in the county after REM announced its takeover of the Patriot Ambulance Emergency’s operation in several counties and included Lawrence in the counties it also plans to serve.

Financial crisis is cited for the recent shutdown of three Patriot Emergency Medical Services stations.

Those services ceased in Mingo County, WV, Floyd and Magoffin counties in Kentucky.

The Patriot Ambulance company made the announcement in a press release on Feb. 14, of the closures, major consolidations and restructuring of its other stations after mounting financial pressures caused by inadequate reimbursement rates from Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance payors, as well as delayed payments tied to recent government shutdown disruptions.

Ramiro Mendoza, interim director of operations for REM in Ohio and Kentucky locations previously served by Patriot EMS, said the company began operating ambulance services in Martin, Lawrence and Boyd counties at 8 a.m., Monday, March 9, along with several locations in southern Ohio.

“We want the public to know there were zero interruptions of service on Monday in the locations we now operate,” Mendoza said. “It was a smooth transition. It’s business as usual, although in the near future you will start to see ambulances bearing the Rapid Emergency Management logo, with the employees’ uniforms changing as well. We want you to know who is responding to your call.”

As part of its restructuring plan, Patriot EMS reduced its workforce by approximately 50% in order to maintain core community operations and preserve essential emergency response capabilities in remaining service areas.

REM has retained employees who remained on staff with Patriot EMS and hopes to bring back additional workers who were recently laid off.

“Our priorities are maintaining uninterrupted patient care and creating stability for the employees who make this service possible,” Mendoza said.

He emphasized that REM is not owned by private equity investors.

“Our leadership team has spent many years in the EMS industry operating ambulance and medical response teams across this country,” Mendoza said. “We are not a private equity firm; we invest our own capital. Our focus has always been on building strong EMS services that provide a positive working environment, reliable equipment and opportunities for professional growth for our teams.”

In a letter sent to current Patriot EMS employees and more than 50 workers who were recently laid off, from Patriot, REM management addressed unpaid payroll obligations, saying it would assist Patriot EMS in ensuring employees receive any wages owed to them.

It also allows opportunities for employees interested in growing with the company, including emergency deployment assignments. Mendoza said REM is the largest ambulance provider supporting wildfire operations in the United States and is also a major contractor for hurricane response, often deploying 25 or more ambulances at a time.

“We are a national leader in emergency medical services, as well as disaster response and remote medical care,” he said. “Regarding ambulance and medical transport, we provide both basic life services (BLS) and critical care (ALS), and reliable local and long-distance transport for transfers, repatriation, and emergency evacuation services.”

While REM has already assumed operations in Martin, Lawrence and Boyd counties, Mendoza said the company hopes to expand further into Eastern Kentucky. Magoffin, Floyd and Mingo counties were also affected by Patriot EMS’s withdrawal.

“Our plan is to grow operations and continue expanding over time,” Mendoza said. “We will consider servicing those locations.”

Members of the REM leadership team plan to visit the counties they now serve in Eastern Kentucky over the coming weeks to meet employees and evaluate local stations and equipment. The company will also study response patterns and community needs in each county.

“We are committed to offering a high level of care to the public, and we will accept nothing less,” Mendoza said. “Our company’s reputation and credibility are second to none, and we will continue to expand, grow and improve on all levels of emergency care.”