The shortage of EMT's and paramedics is a nationwide problem.
But now the issue has become a major problem for several valley communities as a private ambulance company is canceling the service they provide for them.

The President and CEO of Lane Life TRANS Paramedics informed Hubbard, Coitsville, Campbell and Struthers on Monday that they would no longer provide ambulance service for them as of June 4th.

The reason?...not enough EMT's or paramedics available to continue serving those areas.
Now all of those communities are up against the clock to come up with a way to fill that void.

"The impact is going to be quite detrimental to our community but we are going to work everyday to find a solution. There's been ambulance providers from farther outside the area who have discussed coming into the Mahoning Valley," said Hubbard Mayor, Ben Kyle.

"Next is look at a private-public partnership and then we will look at should the fire district provide EMS transport services," said fire chief, George Brown.

Since Hubbard already provides first response services before the ambulance arrives, the joint fire district there is studying the feasibility of providing their own permanent ambulance service. They would like to do so without needing a new levy for funding.

Struthers is also considering several options.

"We're looking at either buying a used ambulance as a back-up. We're reaching out to other companies in the area to see if they can come help us. We're also trying to work something out with lane to see if there is something we can do there," said Struthers Mayor, Catherine Cercone Miller.

Leaders in all of the communities plan to meet as soon as Wednesday to start discussing how they might fill their loss of their current ambulance services.