There’s a growing shortage of Emergency Medical Service responders in New Jersey that in some places has reached a crisis level. The shortage of EMTs has led many towns to shut down their EMS programs altogether. Towns like Elmwood Park, Maywood and North Haledon in Bergen County are just a few examples where the issue became so critical that the county government stepped in.
“People were waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance. Mayors were calling saying the county’s got to help … And so we heard the call. We ended up launching, about a month ago, the Bergen County EMS transportation service,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.
Tedesco said they’re able to afford the costs of running a regionalized emergency response program for the 70 municipalities in Bergen County by using insurance reimbursements. They have four ambulances in service now and are working toward growing the program.
