The History of West Shore EMS
Early in 1985, the Basic Life Support (ambulance) services
of the greater West Shore approached Holy Spirit Hospital for assistance in
forming an Advanced Life Support Service for the area. During those
discussions, the
West Shore Chamber of Commerce was invited to add expertise
in the development of this new organization. By August of 1985, leadership
had been hired and the initial fund drive was initiated. The West Shore
Chamber became the leader in this "community development" project.
As the call volume grew, the need for additional staff became obvious. In 1987, a second unit was placed in service from the Upper Allen Fire Stations. In addition to serving eastern Cumberland County, the units from West Shore ALS also responded to northern York County and portions of northern Adams County.
1989 was the year that WSALS met the need of the citizens
in eastern Perry County. ALS service was initiated in the Duncannon area. By
1991, WSALS realized the need to become more efficient as a provider of
prehospital services. The opportunity existed to become a subsidiary of the
Sisters of Christian Charity and reduce
operational expenses. The corporate change took place without any change in
clinical operations. At approximately the same time a group of the local
ambulance organizations approached WSALS for assistance. These ambulance
organizations saw decreasing revenues and increasing expenses. They needed
to change to survive. It took several years to develop the organizational
structure, but in 1993 Mechanicsburg Community Ambulance, Upper Allen
Township EMS, and Wormleysburg Fire Company EMS merged with and into WSALS.
At that time the trade name of West Shore EMS was adopted. As the
prehospital environment continued to metamorphosis, WSEMS expanded services
to meet the expanding community needs. Wheelchair vans and invalid coaches
were added to the fleet to better serve our communities. A BLS Advisory
Committee was established to ensure municipal input for the operation. WSEMS
continued to grow; but, at the same time, continued to focus on our
patients, our communities, and our staff. Throughout the history of ALS
services in Cumberland and Perry Counties an excellent working relationship
had existed between WSEMS and Carlisl
e ALS. Realizing the need to
collaborate even further, discussion took place late in 1996 concerning the
merger of Carlisle ALS with and into WSEMS. On March 1, 1997, the merger
took place and the foundation for a regional system was established. An ALS
Advisory Committee was developed to once again assure input from the 69
municipalities served by WSEMS. Collaboration with local BLS organizations
has increased service and reduced costs. During this same time period an
opportunity existed to better serve the citizens in Lower Allen Township and
Hampden Township. ALS squads were placed in both townships to better meet
the needs. As the merger with Carlisle ALS became a reality, another
opportunity to improve service became obvious. West Shore EMS partnered with
Carlisle Community Ambulance to provide Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU)
to better serve the citizens in the Carlisle area. Additionally, a
collaborative effort has provided improved service to the 13 long-term care
facilities in the Carlisle area. By working together to meet the needs of
our "customers," WSEMS and Carlisle Community Ambulance have established a
"win-win" situation for our community-based organizations. On August 1,
2000, an additional collaborative relationship was culminated when
Chambersburg Area Advanced Life Support Service merged with and into WSEMS.
The Chambersburg Division includes ALS stations in Chambersburg,
Shippensburg and St. Thomas.
WSEMS looks to the future to become a preferred provider
via further collaboration with health systems, government, payers, other
agencies, and community-based services.