Complaint filed against private EMS for operating during ambulance shortage

NORWICH – A complaint has been filed with the state Health Department against Cooperstown Medical Transport (CMT) for allegedly operating in Chenango County without a permit.

CMT, based in Delaware and Otsego counties, is in the early stages of seeking approval to expand its EMS certificate into Chenango. In the meantime, the company has been operating in the county on occasion at the request of local leaders and EMS officials as they sort out the area’s ongoing ambulance shortage.

Margaret McGown, CMT’s chief financial officer, confirmed Thursday that a complaint has been lodged against the company.

Aside from heavy speculation, it has not been confirmed who filed the complaint. CMT has not been officially notified by the Department of Health, McGown added, so it’s not clear what, if any, violations have occurred or what possible penalties might be.

“We will do whatever the Department of Health asks us to do,” she said. “If that means not posting (being on-call) in Chenango County until the certification process is complete, then that’s what we’ll do.”

The Department of Health did not return a message seeking comment Thursday.

The complaint will “absolutely” not squash CMT’s plans to expand its ambulance service into Chenango County, McGown said.

“Any rumor that we’re going to pull-out now is absolutely incorrect,” she said. “We are going to continue what we’ve been doing. We’re going right along with plans as is.”

CMT has filed to expand its existing operating certificate with the regional arm of the Health Department in Binghamton. If approved there, the recommendation will be forwarded on to Albany to make a final decision. The process will take a minimum of three months, McGown said.