Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that he has written to the state Department of Health (DOH) urging the department to develop guidelines that would allow rural ambulance services to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

“While New York ramps up its vaccine distribution, it’s critical that we ensure rural residents of this state aren’t left behind,” Santabarbara said. “As the representative of many rural communities, I know that transportation can pose a significant barrier, making travel to mass vaccination sites difficult or impossible. If our state wants to reach critical herd immunity and provide fair access to the vaccine, we must allow ambulance services, which already play vital roles in these communities, to become vaccine distributors.”

During the ongoing pandemic, EMS services have adopted new practices and taken on expanded roles to protect public health and serve those in rural regions across the nation.[1] The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have issued guidelines for reimbursement rates for ambulance services that administer the vaccine,[2] but the process to begin administering the vaccine can be complex, particularly for services with limited staff and resources. In a letter to the DOH Commissioner, Santabarbara called on state officials to develop guidance for New York’s rural ambulance services to become vaccine distributors and provide the funding needed to help ensure families in rural regions can easily access the vaccine.

Please click here to view the letter.

[1]ruralcenter.org/events/potential-roles-for-rural-ambulance-services-in-covid-19-vaccination

[2] cms.gov/medicare/covid-19/enrollment-administering-covid-19-vaccine-shots