Susquehanna Valley Emergency Medical Services is joining Penn State Health

Effective 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, August 1, Susquehanna Valley Emergency Medical Services (SVEMS), located in Lancaster and York counties, will be part of Penn State Health. The two organizations signed a letter of intent to partner in April. SVEMS has been providing prehospital emergency and non-emergency care to people in parts of Lancaster County for more than 50 years and parts of York County for five years. Their stations and staff, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics, will be welcomed into Penn State Health Sunday.

Penn State Health and SVEMS will continue to provide the timely, thoughtful care that SVEMS patients have come to expect. This allows first responders to offer patients enhanced access to the primary and specialty care of Penn State Health, in coordination with the future Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center, as part of Penn State Health Life Lion LLC. Penn State Health Life Lion manages the health system’s prehospital medicine program, in coordination with Life Lion Emergency Medical Services at Penn State Health’s flagship Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. As part of the transition, Penn State Health will honor all subscriptions between community members and SVEMS.

“Penn State Health and Susquehanna Valley EMS share a commitment to high-quality, compassionate care, which makes this partnership a natural fit,” said Scott Buchle, director of Penn State Health Life Lion. “This is a win for the community and Penn State Health.”

SVEMS has a history of partnering with other EMS organizations since 2000, when Hempfield Community Ambulance and Columbia Community Ambulance merged to create SVEMS. Since then, SVEMS has merged with six other EMS organizations in Lancaster County. SVEMS is committed to providing exceptional patient care using the latest life-saving techniques and state-of-the-art equipment. SVEMS has been honored numerous times for its patient care, including a prestigious American Heart Association Gold Plus Award.

“Penn State Health’s respect for our mission and reputation will make the transition easy for both patients and employees,” said Mike Fitzgibbons, president and CEO of SVEMS. “Joining the health system gives us access to resources that will give us the ability to enhance patient care.”

Effective Sunday, the approximately 85 employees of SVEMS will be Penn State Health employees.

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