When local hospitals try to arrange non-emergency medical transports, they sometimes make dozens of calls, and patients can wait for hours.

Recently, Shaler Hampton EMS launched a new service to transport patients from the hospital to a rehabilitation or nursing facility or home.

“These residents have been in a hospital where their injury was taken care of, and we take them to a place where they can convalesce,” said Eric Schmidt, executive director and chief of Shaler Hampton EMS.

There are problems with getting a ride between a hospital stay and rehabilitation. Oftentimes, a patient’s family is not equipped to transport them.

This is not unique to Southwestern Pennsylvania, said Jim Palafoutas, director of pre-hospital operations at Allegheny Health Network.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to utilize EMS for transport of patients between facilities because of the decrease of EMS staffs,” he said.

“It’s a scary time for patients when the ability to get them to their destination isn’t timely,” Palafoutas said. “You might have someone waiting in a hospital at 1 p.m. and the transport can’t pick them up until 8 p.m.”

Having timely transportation is better not only for the patients leaving the hospital but also for the new patients waiting to get in, he noted. “All of our area hospitals have the same issue.”

During the pandemic, ambulance services joined the ranks of other occupations in having difficulty retaining workers, Palafoutas noted.

Like other emergency medical services across the state, local services continue to scramble for workers as well as provide raises and incentives to maintain staff.

Shaler Hampton EMS has 43 employees split between full time and part time. The EMS operates 24/7 with stations in Shaler and Hampton.

The service responds to about 5,000 calls a year in Shaler, Hampton and Etna.

Schmidt met with area hospitals to verify the need and that Shaler-Hampton could solve the problem.

“We saw a need and the service will generate revenue for our emergency mission for the community we serve,” Schmidt said.

The service bought a new medical transport vehicle that is less expensive than the traditional ambulance.

Government and the health care industry dictate reimbursements and varying rates by insurance for patients eligible to travel via ambulance, Schmidt said.

“There’s no real black-and-white answer,” he said. “Individual coverage is best answered by the patient and their insurance company.”

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