It’s a business no one ever wants to have to use, but when you need it, it’s important to have it.
Nelson Ambulance Services and patient transport and their affiliates recently joined Yale New Haven Health System, as the health system purchased the ambulance company. Their affiliates include Access Ambulance Service, Connecticut Handivan and The Limo Group, a hospital official said.
A celebration of the integration was held recently at Nelson’s North Haven facility on Quinnipiac Avenue.
“YNHHS is always looking for opportunities to grow and strengthen services to better meet the needs of the patients and communities we serve,” said Christopher O’Connor, YNHHS CEO.
“This will significantly expand our Health System’s medical transport capabilities, creating a more seamless, integrated experience for our patients across the care continuum,” he said.
YNHHS and Nelson leaders have worked closely over the past months to chart a smooth transition plan, officials said.
The purchase will expand access for Nelson’s existing patients and provide additional support to strengthen medical transport in the region, the official said. See the state’s list of 2024 Assigned Primary Service Area Providers — First Responder, the most recent information available online from the state Department of Public Health.
YNHHS will maintain emergency transport services currently offered by Nelson’s North Haven and Milford hubs and will continue to collaborate with Nelson’s current partners to ensure uninterrupted care, according to the companies.
“Many people have a business but can never take it to the next level – we were able to exceed our expectations, or as my father told me last night, we are blessed and lucky,” said Saleem Khan, president of Nelson Ambulance Service and Affiliate Transportation companies, in a statement.
“The dedicated staff and resources now available through Yale New Haven Health to the ambulance and medical transport division will take these companies well beyond the next level.”
The newest CT Statewide EMS Protocols was released in October.
YNHHS includes five hospitals: Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians.
Yale New Haven Health agreed to pay Prospect Medical Holdings $45 million in September to settle the dispute between the two entities over the sale of Waterbury, Rockville General and Manchester Hospitals, according to a settlement agreement between the two parties. Yale had sought to buy the hospitals.
The deal brings to a close a legal battle that dragged in the courts over several years between Yale New Haven Health and Prospect Medical Holdings concerning the fate of Prospect’s three Connecticut hospitals.