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Lewis County Releases Results of Comprehensive EMS
Sustainability Study
Published: May 27, 2026 at
10:00 a.m.
By: linkinglewiscounty.com
LEWIS COUNTY SHARES FINDINGS OF COUNTYWIDE EMS STUDY
LOWVILLE, NY- Lewis County
has released the results of a comprehensive Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) sustainability study conducted by CGR. The study was initiated to
address increasing challenges in the county’s EMS system, including
declining volunteerism, rising operating costs, and increasing service
demands.
Currently, Lewis
County relies on a combination of volunteer and paid EMS providers
operating from seven EMS bases countywide. The system includes 207
volunteers, 25 paid EMS staff, and 13 ambulances, only two to three of
which are staffed around the clock, responding to roughly 3,381 calls each
year.
CGR provided two
primary options for strengthening system reliability:
Option 1: Lewis County
General Hospital would develop a supplementary EMS unit, including two to
three fully equipped ambulances available for interfacility transport and
911 support when not in use. Estimated annual cost: $1.7 million.
Option 2: Should the
current system become unsustainable, the county could build a new,
county-managed EMS service capable of handling emergency, non-emergency,
and transport calls while still incorporating volunteer agencies. Estimated
annual cost: $3.7 million.
A meeting with
stakeholders was held at the Lewis County JCC building in Lowville on May 26th,
with CGR presenting and discussing the findings of the EMS report. Our full
video of the presentation can be viewed on our
YouTube channel here.
The full report (167 pages) can be viewed here.
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