As a resident of Milford Borough, Pike County, I am writing to voice my concerns regarding statements made by County Commissioner Candidate Matt Contreras regarding EMS services in our county.
I have been involved in this issue on a local level for the last three years to include testimony before a PA senate hearing on local EMS services. In the past few years there was a lot of controversy amongst municipalities and ambulance companies over who was providing what service and how that service should be paid. It became a critical issue during the pandemic when ambulance companies were stretched thin due to limited staffing. At that time, our county commissioners provided many local communities with the funds to enable us to staff paid ambulance companies in the form of grants with monies provided by the federal government. That eventually became formalized with matching funds provided directly by the county after our own local Borough residents overwhelmingly voted to approve a referendum to support this essential service.
I am afraid if Mr. Contreras is elected, the agreements forged by our County Commissioners will be for naught and critical ambulance services in our county will be diminished, going back to much longer response times which is critical for patient outcomes. In a statement on 4/19/23 at a candidates’ forum in Blooming Grove, Mr. Contreras stated that there is too much overlap with ambulances sitting idle that he wants to change. I wonder which local ambulance companies he will choose to close. Could it be yours? I strongly urge all Pike County Republicans to vote for Matt Osterberg and Ron Schmalzle in the primary on May 16 to ensure we continue to have quality EMS services in our county.
Sincerely,
Joseph Dooley
Milford Borough