Chester, Pa.-based Crozer Health and its parent company Prospect Medical Holdings, are struggling to foot the bill for ambulance repairs, NPR affiliate WHYY reported June 7.
Crozer's ambulances cover about 70 percent of Delaware County, and five of them, along with two chase cars are in need of repairs, the report said. However, Crozer has exhausted all its nearby repair options.
"We have used several mechanics throughout the county and because of our history with the on prompt payments, nobody’s willing to work with us," Kate Denney, secretary and treasurer for the Crozer Chester Paramedics Association, told WHYY.
Crozer alerady has a hefty bill with one vendor, Ms. Denney said in the report.
"The current bill that we have with one of the only vendors that’s willing to work on our fleet, who happens to be a member of the community, is owed in the excess of close to $120,000. So at this time, he has put us on hold and will not work on any of the vehicles," she said. "So we don’t have any backups because we have several vehicles sitting waiting to be worked on. So all of our backups are being used. If those backups fail, then we have to put units in certain parts of the community out of service, which means that can delay patient care."
A Crozer spokesperson told WHYY that repairs are expected to be done over two weeks.