2026 Membership Drive Letter

THIS LETTER CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CITIZENS’ AMBULANCE SERVICE MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS FOR 2026

RESIDENTS OF WHITE TOWNSHIP, AMSTRONG TOWNSHIP, HOMER CITY BOROUGH and SHELOCTA BOROUGH

White & Armstrong Township Supervisors and Homer City & Shelocta Borough Council members have directly contracted with Citizens’ Ambulance Service (Citizens’). By doing so, it has been agreed that households in those areas ONLY will be automatically enrolled for membership benefits provided by Citizens’ through December 31, 2026. Your municipality has agreed to cover the $75 per household fee and whether a member in the past or not, you will not need to purchase a 2026 membership; However, a personal donation from you will help us to cover the cost of readiness as Citizens’ continues to serve Indiana County and surrounding residents with ambulance service as it has done for the past 63 years.

Citizens’ has shared publicly that it is financially impossible to offer membership benefits through the Indiana County Municipal Emergency Services Authority (ICMESA) without reimbursement and remain solvent.

RESIDENTS OF INDIANA, ARMSTRONG & WESTMORELAND COUNTY MUNCIPALITIES NOT DIRECTLY CONTRACTED WITH CITIZENS’ AMBULANCE SERVICE

Citizens’ Ambulance Service invites you to purchase the Membership Benefit for 2026 as you have done in the past at a cost of $75 per household. By doing so, coverage will extend to any related family member or guest in your home at the time of service. Please review the terms of membership on the reverse side of the application. Please note there is not a reduced senior fee or gift memberships offered this year.

WHAT’S GOING ON AND WHY THE CHANGE?

Many unknowns lie ahead for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Indiana County for 2026. With the formation of the Indiana County Municipal Emergency Services Authority (ICMESA), contracts have yet to be negotiated and the amount of funding to be distributed isn’t clear. The timing for contracts to be executed with EMS providers will be too late to plan efficiently. At Citizens’, we have always relied on our Membership Fees and donations arriving by February. This amounted to approximately $400,000 annually less the amounts written off if a member was transported.

With the directly contracted municipalities (White, Armstrong, Homer City and Shelocta), we can anticipate their support during the First Quarter. While we may experience the loss of funds from purchased memberships as in the past, we are hoping as a previous member you recognize any tax deductible donation you send, will be valuable to the continued success of Citizens’ as your ambulance provider. As the membership program is a function of Citizens’ Ambulance Service ONLY, its benefits cannot be extended by any other person or entity without permission of Citizens’ Board of Directors.

Citizens’ Ambulance Service is the primary ambulance provider for Indiana County and covers 83% of the calls. Patient care by the Citizens’ team is provided by local, experienced medical technicians invested in your community.

Medicare accounts for roughly 60% of most ambulance service income based on call volume. A data collection system report shows Medicare reimbursements are 23 to 69% BELOW the cost of providing service. In the past two years (2023-24), 47 ambulance services ceased operations in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, we have seen this first hand in nearby county communities. Efforts to change this downward trend are being explored but Citizens’ must first SURVIVE until the solutions are found. Thank you for your past support and consideration for 2026.